Software reliability measurement in imperfect debugging environment and its application

In practice, debugging operations during the testing phase of software development are not always performed perfectly. In other words, not all the software faults detected are corrected and removed. Generally, this is called imperfect debugging. In this paper, we discuss a software reliability growth model considering imperfect debugging. Defining a random variable representing the cumulative number of faults corrected up to a specified testing time, this model is described by a semi-Markov process. Then, several quantitative measures are derived for software reliability assessment in an imperfect debugging environment. The application of this model to optimal software release problems is also discussed. Finally, numerical illustrations for software reliability measurement and optimal software release policies are presented.     

Evaluation of Plant Ceramide Species-Induced Exosome Release from Neuronal Cells and Exosome Loading Using Deuterium Chemistry

The extracellular accumulation of aggregated amyloid-β (Aβ) in the brain leads to the early pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The administration of exogenous plant-type ceramides into AD model mice can promote the release of neuronal exosomes, a subtype of extracellular vesicles, that can mediate Aβ clearance. In vitro studies showed that the length of fatty acids in mammalian-type ceramides is crucial for promoting neuronal exosome release. Therefore, investigating the structures of plant ceramides is important for evaluating the potential in releasing exosomes to remove Aβ. In this study, we assessed plant ceramide species with D-erythro-(4E,8Z)-sphingadienine and D-erythro-(8Z)-phytosphingenine as sphingoid bases that differ from mammalian-type species. Some plant ceramides were more effective than mammalian ceramides at stimulating exosome release. In addition, using deuterium chemistry-based lipidomics, most exogenous plant ceramides were confirmed to be derived from exosomes. These results suggest that the ceramide-dependent upregulation of exosome release may promote the release of exogenous ceramides from cells, and plant ceramides with long-chain fatty acids can effectively release neuronal exosomes and prevent AD pathology.     

Preparation of the composite consisting of nano‐sized gold particles and nylon‐11 oligomer

Nylon‐11 oligomer was utilized as a matrix to prepare a composite containing nano‐sized gold particles. Nylon‐11 oligomer was prepared by a thermal degradation of a commercial nylon‐11 in vacuum. Weight‐average molecular weight of the oligomer was in a range from 500 to 800. Nylon‐11 oligomer was formed into a film, and then gold was vapor‐deposited onto the oligomer film. The gold‐colored oligomer film turned a transparent red after a heat treatment at 120°C. Transmission electron microscopy showed an isolated distribution of nano‐sized gold particles in the red film of the oligomer. The gold particles were stable in the oligomer for more than a year, and they were dissolved in CH₂Cl₂ to produce a stable colloidal solution. These results suggest that the gold particles were not only dispersed in the oligomer film, but they were stabilized by the nylon‐11 oligomer to form a composite. IR spectrum of the composite showed that N H groups of the nylon‐11 oligomer were responsible for the interaction between the gold particles and the oligomer. Pulse ¹H‐NMR measurement suggested that an active molecular motion of the nylon‐11 oligomer caused the dispersion of the gold particles. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 1654–1661, 1999     

Temperature rise in a birefringent substrate caused by RF discharge plasma

Temperature rises of a birefringent substrate (LiNbO₃) have been measured in an argon RF discharge plasma. The measurement method is based on monitoring the variation of natural birefringence with temperature by laser interferometry. Using this method, the dependence of substrate temperature rise on applied RF power and gas pressure has been investigated. The evaluation of the temperature curves shows that heat flux from the plasma toward the substrate is independent of time and temperature. The magnitude of the flux differs largely from the applied power, and is approximately 0.4% of the power. By measuring the electron density, electron temperature, and plasma potential with a Langmuir probe, the energy of the ions incident on the substrate is estimated. The ion flux toward the substrate is calculated from the energy of ions and is compared with the measured heat flux. The dependence on the applied power is in approximate agreement between those fluxes. The temperature distribution over the substrate thickness is simulated numerically using the finite difference method. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 127(4): 9–17, 1999     

Resolution of a digital servo control system using single‐bit digital signal processing

The application of single‐bit digital signal processing to mechanical control systems has already been proposed by the authors. Multibit A/D converters have been improved to a high level. But it is difficult to improve high‐resolution A/D by the latest semiconductor technologies. A single‐bit digital signal can be generated by a delta‐sigma modulator. Single‐bit digital signal has a small quantized error at low frequency. Then with this single‐bit digital signal processing, high resolution on controlling such a narrow‐bandwidth mechanical system will be realized. In this paper, resolution of analog, multibit, and single‐bit control systems is estimated via simulation. According to the results of simulations, a single‐bit control system has a higher resolution than a multibit system under conditions of equal bit rates. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 128(4): 94–101, 1999     

Energy pay-back time and life-cycle CO2 emission of residential PV power system with silicon PV module

The concerns about environmental impacts of photovoltaic (PV) power systems are growing with the increasing expectation of PV technologies. In this paper, three kinds of silicon-based PV modules, namely single-crystalline silicon (c-Si), polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) and amorphous silicon (a-Si) PV modules, are evaluated from the viewpoint of their life-cycle. For the c-Si PV module it was assumed that off-grade silicon from semiconductor industries is used with existing production technologies. On the other hand, new technologies and the growth of production scale were presumed with respect to the poly-Si and a-Si PV modules. Our results show that c-Si PV modules have a shorter energy pay-back time than their expected lifetime and lower CO₂ emission than the average CO₂ emission calculated from the recent energy mix in Japan, even with present technologies. Furthermore the poly-Si and the a-Si PV modules with the near-future technologies give much reduction in energy pay-back times and CO₂ emissions compared with the present c-Si PV modules. The reduction of glass use and the frameless design of the PV module may be effective means to decrease them more, although the lifetime of the PV module must be taken into account. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new flexible,reliable, and intelligent electrical energy delivery system

This paper proposes a new concept of an electric power delivery system for future decades. The power delivery network consists of a set of meshed networks spread over every demand-side block (city or town). On the end point of the power line network, quality improvement facilities (referred to as “quality improvement centers”) are installed, and each consumer can select an arbitrary quality of electricity. Thus the system can achieve multi-menu-services and uninterrupted power supply. The system contains small-scale energy storage and dispersed small-scale power generation systems. The main circuit breakers consist of power electronics devices, and communication networks are fully installed so as to control the power electronics devices or power flow according to system situations or the fault situations. The communication network also controls the demand-side management. From the above, the proposed power delivery network is flexible and reliable. The intelligent facilities (computers) are installed in the control centers as well as in the quality improvement centers. They keep the system as the most energy-conservative form. In this paper, the system is named FRIENDS (Flexible, Reliable and Intelligent Electrical eNergy Delivery system). The conclusion of this paper summarizes the major research areas that must be completed to realize the system. © 1997 Scripta Technica, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 121(1): 26–34, 1997     

Analysis of electromagnetic waveguide bends by three-dimensional finite element method with edge elements

An approach based on the finite element method (FEM) with the rectangular-parallelepipd edge element is proposed for the analysis of electromagnetic waveguide bends. Here, to be permissible for analysis of various electromagnetic waveguides, the analytical relations in the uniform waveguide are constructed numerically by using the FEM with the rectangular edge element. To confirm the validity and versatility of this approach, bends of a hollow waveguide, a half-filled dielectric waveguide, and a finline are analyzed. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Pannexin 1-Mediated ATP Signaling in the Trigeminal Spinal Subnucleus Caudalis Is Involved in Tongue Cancer Pain

Pain is one of the most severe concerns in tongue cancer patients. However, the underlying mechanisms of tongue cancer pain are not fully understood. We investigated the molecular mechanisms of tongue cancer-induced mechanical allodynia in the tongue by squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) inoculation in rats. The head-withdrawal threshold of mechanical stimulation (MHWT) to the tongue was reduced following SCC inoculation, which was inhibited by intracisternal administration of 10Panx, an inhibitory peptide for pannexin 1 (PANX1) channels. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the expression of PANX1 was upregulated in the trigeminal spinal subnucleus caudalis (Vc) following SCC inoculation. The majority of PANX1 immunofluorescence was merged with ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba1) fluorescence and a part of it was merged with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) fluorescence. Spike frequencies of Vc nociceptive neurons to noxious mechanical stimulation were significantly enhanced in SCC-inoculated rats, which was suppressed by intracisternal 10Panx administration. Phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK)-immunoreactive (IR) neurons increased significantly in the Vc after SCC inoculation, which was inhibited by intracisternal 10Panx administration. SCC inoculation-induced MHWT reduction and increased pERK-IR Vc neuron numbers were inhibited by P2X7 purinoceptor (P2X7R) antagonism. Conversely, these effects were observed in the presence of P2X7R agonist in SCC-inoculated rats with PANX1 inhibition. SCC inoculation-induced MHWT reduction was significantly recovered by intracisternal interleukin-1 receptor antagonist administration. These observations suggest that SCC inoculation causes PANX1 upregulation in Vc microglia and adenosine triphosphate released through PANX1 sensitizes nociceptive neurons in the Vc, resulting in tongue cancer pain.