Development of a high‐resolution RGBW flexible display using a white organic light‐emitting diode with microcavity structure and that of a side‐roll touch panel

In this study, white organic electroluminescent devices with microcavity structures were developed. A flexible high‐resolution active‐matrix organic light‐emitting diode display with low power consumption using red, green, blue, and white sub‐pixels formed by a color‐filter method was fabricated. In addition, a side‐roll touch display was developed in combination with a capacitive flexible touch screen.     

Cognitive model of team cooperation in en-route air traffic control

Since controller teams are in charge of en-route air traffic control, team cooperation is a key issue for good control performance. We conducted ethnographic field observation at the Tokyo Area Control Center and then analyzed the obtained data to develop a cognitive model of team cooperation in en-route air traffic control. We segmented conversational records, behavioral records, and so on by control unit, and then clarified relations between the segments and identified expert knowledge and judgment behind them. Cognitive processes of controller teams were reconstructed based on a concept of distributed cognition. The analysis revealed that the mutual belief model is applicable to team cooperation processes, the role assignment of tasks within a controller team is implicit and that control plans are implemented smoothly once team situation awareness has been established. A cognitive model of controllers?? team cooperation has been constructed based on these findings.     

Chemical Modification of Phage-Displayed Helix-Loop-Helix Peptides to Construct Kinase-Focused Libraries

Conformationally constrained peptides hold promise as molecular tools in chemical biology and as a new modality in drug discovery. The construction and screening of a target-focused library could be a promising approach for the generation of de novo ligands or inhibitors against target proteins. Here, we have prepared a protein kinase-focused library by chemically modifying helix-loop-helix (HLH) peptides displayed on phage and subsequently tethered to adenosine. The library was screened against aurora kinase A (AurA). The selected HLH peptide Bip - 3 retained the α-helical structure and bound to AurA with a K_D value of 13.7 μM. Bip - 3 and the adenosine-tethered peptide Bip - 3 - Adc provided IC₅₀ values of 103 μM and 7.7 μM, respectively, suggesting that Bip - 3 - Adc bivalently inhibited AurA. In addition, the selectivity of Bip - 3 - Adc to several protein kinases was tested, and was highest against AurA. These results demonstrate that chemical modification can enable the construction of a kinase-focused library of phage-displayed HLH peptides.     

Thermal and optical properties of epoxy/zirconia hybrid materials synthesized via in situ polymerization

Epoxy/zirconia hybrid materials were synthesized from a bisphenol-A type epoxy resin, zirconium-tetra-n-propoxide and acetic acid via in situ polymerization. Acetic acid was used to control the hydrolysis and condensation reaction of the zirconium-tetra-n-propoxide. As a result, the zirconia produced by the in situ polymerization was uniformly dispersed into the epoxy matrix on a nano scale or less, and the hybrid materials exhibited an excellent optical transparency. With the increasing zirconia contents, the storage modulus in the rubbery region increased and the peak area of tanδ in the glass transition temperature region decreased. These results indicate that their heat resistance of the hybrid materials could be improved by hybridization with zirconia. Furthermore, the refractive indices of the hybrid materials were significantly improved with the increasing zirconia contents.     

Realization of an extremely low reflectance surface based on InP porous nanostructures for application to photoelectrochemical solar cells

Extremely low reflectance was obtained from InP porous nanostructures in UV, visible, and near-infrared ranges. Porous samples were electrochemically prepared on which 130-nm-diameter nanopores were formed in a straight, vertical direction and were laterally separated by 50-nm-thick InP nanowalls. The reflectance strongly depended on the surface morphology. The lowest reflectance of 0.1% in the visible light range was obtained after the irregular top layer had been completely removed. Superior photoelectrochemical properties were obtained on the InP porous structures due to two unique features: the large surface area inside pores, and the large photon absorption enhanced on the low reflectance surface.     

Water wettability/non-wettability of polymer materials by molecular orbital studies

The water wettability and non-wettability onto various kinds of polymers, which have so far been macroscopically described by the water contact angle, were investigated using the molecular orbital theory. An atomistic model consisting of an H₂O molecule and a selected polymer crystal surface was analyzed in the isolated and the physisorbed states. The degree of interaction between the water molecule and the polymer surface was evaluated by considering the change of Mulliken charge at the oxygen site in the water molecule, and also the work of adhesion during the physisorption process. Such energetic quantities for several polymers were compared with the macroscopic water wettability/non-wettability. We found fairly good agreement between these approaches for the highly non-wettability polymers.     

Characterization of polystyrene-binding peptides (PS-tags) for site-specific immobilization of proteins

In this study, we characterized polystyrene-binding peptides (PS-tags) that possess a specific binding affinity for hydrophilic polystyrene (phi-PS) plates. Both the FITC-labeled PS19-1 (RAFIASRRIKRP) and PS19-6 (RIIIRRIRR) peptides showed strong binding affinity for commercially available hydrophilic, but not hydrophobic, PS plates in the presence of the non-ionic surfactant Tween 20. The dissociation constants (K_d) of the PS19-1 and PS19-6 peptides for the hydrophilic PS-A plate were 169 and 86 nM, respectively, and the K_d of both peptides increased with the concentration of NaCl or urea. Based on adsorption yield and residual activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST) after fusion with the PS19-6 peptide or its variants, it was found that the basic amino acid in the PS-tags, i.e., Arg was essential for the strong binding affinity of PS-tags in both the peptide and peptide-fused protein forms The aliphatic amino acids in PS19-6 and PS19-6L, such as Ile or Leu, were also effective. Thus, a series of PS-tags that possess this unusual feature, especially the peptides PS19-6 (RIIIRRIRR) and PS19-6L (RLLLRRLRR), are potential candidate affinity peptide tags for site-specific immobilization of proteins onto hydrophilic PS plates, which show potential as solid supports for protein-based biochips.     

Design and evaluation of orifice arrangement for particle-excitation flow control valve

In this article, we report a new particle-excitation flow control valve. The purpose of this study is the development of a particle-excitation flow control valve that can precisely control pneumatic cylinders. We have reported this flow control valve principle. The valve, driven by a PZT vibrator, has a simple lightweight structure with large flow rate. We report the relationship between the orifice arrangement and flow rate characteristics of the valve. We have designed a new prototype for the purpose of high controllability. We have measured flow-rate characteristics and confirmed the conditions necessary for continuous adjustment of flow quantity. The control valve works successfully to realize a change in flow rate.     

Reduction of return current noise by energy‐compensating active control

A newly proposed energy‐compensating active control is implemented to reduce the return current noise which is caused by inverter‐driven electric car systems. The energy‐compensating active control detects the energy charged at the filter capacitor, and reduces the energy and current of the noise frequency component by simple feedback loop incorporated with the conventional motor torque controller. No additional sensors or circuit arrangements are necessary; therefore, the return current can be attenuated effectively without any further cost. The return current with an inverter system is measured using a current probe and an FFT analyzer, and it is shown that the 25‐Hz noise current is reduced by up to 10 dB with the control. The results reveal that the low‐frequency return current noise can be attenuated with the simple control scheme, which would expectedly reduce the size of filter reactors and capacitors to meet the current limit level of the signaling system's track relays. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 165(4): 84–91, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20615