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In general, governments used to increase the number of public works for their economic recovery. In United State, huge number of bridges, roads and tunnels were constructed in 1920’s. The lifetime of infrastructures is regarded as fifty years in general. In addition, the budget for maintenance of infrastructure had been decreased from the latter half of 1960s to 1970s. Therefore, most of these infrastructures were decayed in 1980’s and this period is called as ‘America in Ruins’. In Japan, enough number of power generators were required to launch heavy industries after World War II. To export these products, ports and highways were constructed. Furthermore, the bullet train ‘Shinkansen’ and urban expressways in Tokyo were constructed for Olympic game held in 1964. In 2010’s, most of these infrastructures seem to reach their life time. However, government doesn’t have enough budget for renovations. Therefore, new standards and technologies for repair and inspections are being required. Nowadays, huge number of infrastructures are under construction in Malaysia. Similar issues of United States or Japan may be occurred in this fifty years. In this paper, recent policy of government and new technologies including methods and equipment for maintenance of infrastructures in southern part of Japan are shown.

Integrated dynamic bandwidth allocation with an overlap scheme that improves the bandwidth efficiency of aggregated access networks is implemented and demonstrated on the 10 G Ethernet passive optical network (EPON)-based prototype system for the first time. Experiments revealed that the prototype system can achieve more than 99% bandwidth efficiency with only 150 kB aggregation buffers in each optical subscriber unit.

内空幅5m以上の大型のボックスカルバート（以下，ボックス）は，現場の多くが斜角であるが，経済性の観点から場所打ちコンクリート施工が一般的であり，工期短縮，品質安定性などの観点からプレキャスト製品化が望まれている。筆者らは，斜角に対応した経済的なプレキャストボックスの開発にあたって，ボックスを頂版部材と側壁部材にセグメント化し，頂版と側壁の接合隅角部にループ継手構造を適用して，剛接合として一体化することを試みた。隅角部ループ継手構造の基礎実験を行い，その後実物大供試体を作製し，施工性や構造性能の検証試験を行い，想定どおりの施工が可能であること，一体型と同等の構造性能を有していること等を確認した。また，大型のボックスの断面力の算出方法は，弾性床上のラーメン構造として計算する方法が適切であることも明らかとなった。

The application of a gravity-specific stress (e.g. LBNP), in combination with exercise, prevents cardiovascular deconditioning in space flight. KAATSU training is a method to induce blood pooling in capacitance vessels by restricting venous return (as with LBNP) and which when combined with low-intensity resistance (RE) exercise produces remarkable muscle mass and muscle strength gains. The purpose of this study was to investigate the hemodynamic and neurohumonal responses induced by KAATSU in combination with leg RE (30 % 1 RM), during simulated weightlessness (6°head-down tilt for 24 h, n=7). Following 24 h bed rest 6° head-down tilt, body mass was decreased from 75.3 ± 3.9 to 73.3 ± 3.8 Kg (P

The triple band MIMO antenna composed of the unbalanced fed ultra low profile inverted L antenna and a parasitic element on the rectangular conducting plane is proposed for Wi-Fi application of 2.45 GHz to 2.497 GHz, 5.15 GHz to 5.35 GHz, and 5.47 GHz to 5.725 GHz. The size of conducting plane is 45 mm by 61 mm. Although the distance between two antenna elements is 44 mm, the mutual coupling between two antenna elements is very weak.

The possible presence of anticipation in bipolar affective disorder and schizophrenia has led to the hypothesis that repeat expansion mutations could contribute to the genetic etiology of these diseases. Using the repeat expansion detection (RED) assay, we have systematically examined genomic DNA from 100 unrelated probands with schizophrenia and 68 unrelated probands with bipolar affective disorder for the presence of CAG/CTG repeat expansions. Our results show that 28% of the probands with schizophrenia and 30% of probands with bipolar disorder have a CAG/CTG repeat in the expanded range, but that each expansion could be explained by one of three nonpathogenic repeat expansions known to exist in the general population. We conclude that novel CAG/CTG repeat expansions are not a common genetic risk factor for bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.

Urinary trypsin inhibitor (UTI) is a physiological protease inhibitor produced in the liver and excreted into urine. Urinary trypsin inhibitor-like antigen has been demonstrated on glial cells in the brain. This study measured cerebrospinal UTI levels in various conditions. Seven subjects in each of the following groups were studied: patients undergoing spinal anesthesia for minor surgery, spinal anesthesia for cesarean section, removal of meningioma, or at postoperative day 3 after ruptured intracranial aneurysm clipping. Cerebrospinal fluid was collected from a spinal needle, a needle puncturing the sylvian fissure, or a drainage tube from the optical carotid cistern. Urine was collected from a urinary catheter. Cerebrospinal and urinary UTI concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay, and the urinary UTI concentration was divided by urinary creatinine concentration to give the systemic UTI concentration. The cerebrospinal UTI concentration in the brain tumor and postoperative state groups was significantly higher than in the spinal anesthesia and cesarean section groups. The systemic UTI concentration in the cesarean section and postoperative state groups was significantly higher than in the spinal anesthesia and brain tumor groups. The present results demonstrate that UTI can be detected in the cerebrospinal fluid, and suggest that cerebrospinal UTI increases in patients with a brain tumor or inflammation and is not affected by systemic UTI.

We studied 40 anaesthetised and paralysed patients, in a randomised manner, to compare the ease of tracheal intubation either using a Macintosh laryngoscope and gum elastic bougie (group C) with the ease of tracheal intubation through the intubating laryngeal mask using a fibreoptic bronchoscope (group L), during manual in-line stabilisation of the patient's head and neck. In both groups, a maximum of 120 s was allowed for attempts at tracheal intubation. The ease of placement of the intubating laryngeal mask or tracheal intubation was assessed using a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS). In patients in whom tracheal intubation succeeded, time for intubation was measured. The intubating laryngeal mask was placed successfully in 19 of 20 patients, with the median VAS of 18 mm (95% CI: 13–32 mm). The success rate of tracheal intubation in group L (17 patients) was significantly higher than in group C (nine patients) (p

We have investigated short-channel effects of ultrathin (4-18-nm thick) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) n-channel MOSFET's in the 40-135 nm gate length regime. It is experimentally and systematically found that the threshold voltage (V/sub th/) roll-off and subthreshold slope (S-slope) are highly suppressed as the channel SOI thickness is reduced. The experimental 40-nm gate length, 4-nm thick ultrathin SOI n-MOSFET shows the S-slope of only 75 mV and the /spl Delta/V/sub th/ of only 0.07 V as compared to the value in the case of the long gate-length (135 nm) device. Based on these experimental results, the remarkable advantage of an ultrathin SOI channel in suppressing the short-channel effects is confirmed for future MOS devices.

If the chloride concentration at the surface of a concrete structure is known, the chloride concentration around reinforcements at year t can be estimated and the initiation time of reinforcement corrosion obtained from the concentration and some associated critical value. The accumulating corrosion products then causes the volume of reinforcement to expand, leading to cracking of the concrete surface. Provided that the structure reaches its critical state when surface cracks appear, the time tL is obtained from when the cracks appear. Taking the parameters associated with deterioration to be random variables, the occurrence probability of deterioration is evaluated. Then the optimum concrete cover thickness is obtained based on the concept of least expected cost.

The IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol Version 2 (PTP v2) standard was developed to establish precise synchronization protocols for distributed nodes, and thus facilitate the development of distributed time-based systems. As an example of an applied system, we developed a distributed wireless network emulator that permits precise and stable synchronized time-based wireless link scheduling. In our system, each agent node simply emulates schedule-based wireless links without exchanging control messages with any other nodes. This emulator is designed to test IP-based protocols for high scalability and high-speed mobility while maintaining high accuracy levels over extended periods of time. In our previous work, we showed the existence of a relationship between packet handling size and accuracy in a developed emulator system. In this study, we evaluate the performance of agent node loads, and their relationship to processing time accuracy, by obtaining time information from PTP v2. These factors are important when deciding future extension policy. From our experimental results, we determined that performance has two kind of influence. Specifically, processing time increases as loading increases, and some processing elements become excessively long under high load conditions. These factors have a significant influence on time-based distributed systems, such as our distributed mobile network emulator, which is designed to handle processes at microsecond speeds.

One cost effective solution for traffic control and signaling of monorails and metro rail transit is a communication based train control system (CBTC). Radio transmission is one of the most effective CBTC subsystems. It can increase transportation capacity by moving a block control method with less trackside equipment. This paper discusses the development of a radio propagation simulator for CBTC systems (RAPS). The purpose of RAPS is to calculate the radio-electric signal power and coverage along the track; and consider track configuration, tunnel geometry and obstacles in order to arrange a proper layout of trackside base stations and their antennas. The paper presents a graphical user interface, key technical features, and a case study involving the simulator.

In this paper, effectiveness of several existing anti-liquefaction methods for preventing large deformations of pipelines for lateral flow of liquefied grounds during earthquakes are investigated and compared, as well as a proposed method which fixes pipelines with expansion joints parallel to auxiliary continuous pipes using iron tie-plates. Stiffness of liquefied soils around pipes is represented as a static coefficient of subgrade reaction, based on the experiments on the interaction between liquefied sand deposits and pipes. Pipeline-spring systems which are characterized by those coefficients are analyzed based on the theory of “a beam on an elastic foundation” and transfer matrix method. Computations are performed with respect to the key parameters of pipes, coefficient of subgrade reaction, and several fixing conditions between pipes and underground structures. The sliding displacements of pipelines, rotational angles of joints, and stresses of pipelines are compared for such anti-liquefaction methods as soil-improving methods (sand-compaction pile or ballast-replaced soil methods) and structural-stiffening methods (parallel pipe or pile-supporting methods).

A selective CVD tungsten process using silane reduction of tungsten hexafluoride has been investigated. A deposition rate as high as 0.6 mu m/min is obtained. The properties of the tungsten films have been investigated by X-ray diffraction, secondary ion mass spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The tungsten films contain a small amount of Si, which is uniformly distributed as a W/sub 5/Si/sub 3/ phase. The silane reduction process completely suppresses undesirable phenomena, such as Si consumption, lateral encroachment, and wormholes. Measurements have been made of the junction leakage current and the contact resistance. The junction leakage current for this process is almost the same as that for the conventional AlSi process. The contact resistance of submicron holes is more stable and lower for this process than for the conventional one. The new process has been successfully applied to CMOS 1-Mb DRAMs. >

A 52-year-old male was admitted with autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), showing mononuclear cell infiltration in both the pancreas and salivary glands with both normal sialography and anti-SS-A/SS-B antibodies. Although the AIP improved with glucocorticoid treatment, subsequent abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed a nodular shadow in the bilateral kidneys, which was confirmed as interstitial nephritis by renal biopsy. The patient's serum immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) level was 10 times higher than the upper limit of the normal range. IgG4-positive mononuclear cell infiltration was detected in the salivary gland, pancreas, and kidney. A new entity proposed as 'IgG4-related autoimmune disease' was considered.

We propose the "bi-layer" CoSi/sub 2/ structure with smaller grain size, which realizes low sheet resistance for 35 nm gate length as well as low junction leakage current for 100 nm junction depth for the first time. The formation of the bi-layer CoSi/sub 2/ structure is successfully controlled by the N/sub 2/ ion implantation with low energy and high dosage, and enables us to manufacture sub-50 nm CMOS devices.

The authors describe key points of 0.5- mu m technologies for fabricating high-density memory devices such as 16-Mb DRAM (dynamic random access memory). The main features of the technologies are the use of field-shield isolation and a W contact source/drain transistor utilizing silane reduction of WF/sub 6/. The field-shield isolation technology enables the isolation region to be reduced down to half a micron. The selective W deposition leads to a reduction of the parasitic resistance. A fully planarized T-shaped stacked capacitor cell was fabricated and found to be suitable for a 16-Mb DRAM. >

An artificial neural network was used to assess deteriorating reinforced concrete (RC) structures using periodical inspection data for thermal power plants along the coast of Tokyo Bay arranged by the Tokyo Electric Power Company. In the analysis, the focus is on chloride-induced corrosion damage of RC structures. 13 input variables such as crack width, crack direction, number of cracks, etc. were selected as the inputs to the artificial neural network, and four output variables were chosen as the desired damage levels. Using a successfully trained neural network, a sensitivity analysis determines the influence of a change in each variable such as maximum crack width, area of peeling-off of concrete, exposure of reinforcement, etc., on the damage level. >

Advanced ion implantation and rapid thermal annealing technologies are proposed to realize highly reliable 0.25 /spl mu/m salicided dual gate CMOS for high performance logic application. These technologies mainly consist of mixing the CoSi/sub 2//Si interface using silicon implantation, CVD-Si/sub 3/N/sub 4//CVD-SiO/sub 2/ sidewall spacer, nitrogen implantation in gate polysilicon and source/drain regions and rapid thermal annealing (RTA) for reduction of thermal budget.

We have developed a novel 0.15 /spl mu/m CMOS process for high performance and high reliability, consisting of mixing the CoSi/sub 2/-Si interface using Si/sup +/ implantation to form shallow junctions, nitrogen implantation into gate electrodes to improve the oxide reliability, and selective channel implantation using a gate-around mask to reduce the junction capacitance. By using these processes, the propagation delay time of 21 psec/stage was obtained for a 0.15 /spl mu/m CMOS ring oscillator at the allowable maximum supply voltage of 2.0 V limited by hot-carrier degradation. >

A small single-chip PHS RF front-end GaAs MMIC operating with single +3V supply voltage has been developed. This MMIC integrates transmitter power-amplifier, receiver LNA, switchable attenuator, RX/TX switches, and control logic in a single-chip. Unlike conventional GaAs MESFET technology, the new power GaAs MESFET incorporated in this chip does not require negative voltage gate bias, and as a result, the MMIC can be operated by a true single-supply voltage without internal or external negative voltage generator.

A study on applicability of non-destructive inspection methods to evaluate degree of soundness of PC bridges was conducted. An experiment for radio propagation characteristics of ultrasonic waves and impact elastic waves was conducted. First, for PC structures consisting of PC steels, reinforcing bars, and concrete, a study on a possibility of grasping the pre-stressing rate from the radio propagation characteristics was conducted. Also, experiments using model and real PC girders to study on the applicability to the real structures were conducted. As a result, a possibility to apply the non-destructive inspection methods was indicated.

From the direct observation of 147 nm and 173 nm vacuum ultraviolet rays for the surface-discharge ac PDPs with barrier ribs, the influences of discharge characteristics are discussed concerning the barrier ribs.

A special electrode structure for a vacuum interrupter in which an axial magnetic field, generated by the electrodes, stabilizes the arc and consequently increases the interrupting ability, has been invented.

Explanations are given regarding recent technical topics in the development of vacuum circuit breakers. The area-effect concept is introduced to aid in insulation designs of vacuum interrupters. By using Cu-Cr prepared through a special method, the voltage performance of vacuum interrupters has been remarkably improved. Through the development of axial magnetic field electrodes, large-current interruption has been made possible. The design concept for determining contact radii has been established. A computer simulation method for generating switching overvoltage is described, thereby indicating the possibility of realizing large-current interrupting vacuum interrupters with low switching overvoltages. >

A 220- × 240-element liquid-crystal 2-in television display panel, using an MOSFET/capacitor array with gate-bus drivers integrated onto the same silicon substrate, has been developed. A gold-nickel alloy and polyimide resin have been applied as reflective display electrodes and insulating interlayer, respectively. In this panel, considerable reduction in the number of interconnections and good display contrast have been attained. MOS array construction and fabrication, gate-bus driver circuit configuration, and panel performance are described in this paper.

Design parameters of puffer type SF6 gas circuit breakers were discussed based on the thermo-gas dynamic simulation of arc quenching phenomenon including the pressure generation by the arc itself. The results of the simulation revealed that the puffer breaker with high interrupting capacity can be designed with much less cylinder volume and much less driving power compared with the breaker designed by the conventional way of increasing the mechanical power to obtain high interrupting capacity. A compact puffer breaker with the interrupting capacity of 63 kA at 7.2 kV was developed based on the simulation.

Administration of MPTP (1-methyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) to Macaca fascicularis monkeys produced severe parkinsonism (hypokinesia, tremor, rigidity, aphagia, adipsia) and more than 90% loss of nigral dopamine neurons, striatal dopamine content and striatal 3H-mazindol binding. Treatment with the catecholamine uptake blocker nomifensine counteracted the behavioral, histological and neurochemical effects induced by MPTP. For obtaining best protection, nomifensine had to be administered for weeks after MPTP. The results suggest that the selective target-directed neurotoxic action of MPTP on dopamine neurons in monkeys is mediated via the dopamine uptake mechanism.

Selective CVD-W process by using silane (SiH4) reduction of WF6 has been developed for VLSI contacts. The reaction occurs very fast resulting in a deposition rate of as high as 0.6 µm/min, and completely suppresses undesirable phenomena such as encroachment and wormholes. An X-ray diffraction analysis shows that a small W5Si3 peak can be observed although W peaks are dominant. The junction leakage current for the new selective CVD-W process is almost the same as that for conventional AlSi one. Contact resistance of submicron holes is more stable and lower for this process than for the conventional one. This new process has been successfully applied to CMOS 1Mbit DRAM.

High suppression of threshold voltage roll-off and subthreshold slope characteristics have been experimentally shown in ultrathin SOI n-MOSFETs in the 40-135 nm gate length regime, and the effectiveness of an ultrathin SOI layer to prevent the short channel effect was experimentally confirmed.

A series of passive fiber-optic devices, which includes a new type multiplexer–demultiplexer for WDM transmission, has been developed. The multiplexer–demultiplexer is composed of a single GRIN-rod lens and interference filters. Small in size, it has low-loss and high-isolation characteristics by means of direct attachment of filters on the fiber and the lens end. Total loss and cross talk for a pair of two-channel multiplexer–demultiplexers for two LEDs are

Characteristics of a vacuum arc under an axial magnetic field have been investigated. The confinement effect of the arc between the electrodes is clearly demonstrated. By this effect, it was found that the arc is significantly stabilised, and consequently the interrupting ability of the arc increases. A demonstration of the current interruption up to 200 kA r.m.s. is shown and the design philosophy of the interruption is discussed.

This paper describes quality control techniques, reliability test results and field experience regarding the reliability of vacuum interrupters. The possibility of vacuum failure has been decreased by establishing quality control techniques. Field experience has confirmed this excellent performance.