Search

A new methodology for the fabrication of covalently bound multilayers has been developed on the basis of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) prepared from 5-(2-methyl-1,3,2-dioxaborinan-5-yl)pentyltri...

The fluorescence behaviour of the liquid crystal, 4-cyano-4-pentylbiphenyl (5CB), in composite thin films prepared by the photopolymerization of 5CB/diacrylate mixtures, was investigated by means of three different excitation methods, in which the total-internal-reflection or surface-limited excitation method was used for analysis of the fluorescence from an ultra-thin interface layer (100nm) in contact with the substrate surface, whereas the fluorescence from the interior bulk was analysed by the through-film excitation method. It was found that intensity ratios of the monomer and excimer emissions of 5CB are significantly lower in the interface layer than in the interior bulk, depending upon photopolymerization conditions as well as upon the structures of the diacrylates used. Scanning electron microscopic observations and light-scattering measurements of some typical composite films showed possible relationships between morphological features and fluorescence characteristics depending upon the diacryla...

中国北部地域の旧石器文化を対象として,その石刃技術の成立期の様相を提示するとともに,朝鮮半島・日本列島の該期の様相との比較を行い,東アジアの石刃技術成立期の特徴の把握を試みた.その結果,中国北部では石刃技術の成立とその石器文化への組み込みをめぐって,北アジアのムスチエ文化の系統を引く文化の流入によるものと,在地の中期旧石器文化の自律的な発展によるもの,という2つの状況を確認できた.また,朝鮮半島・日本列島との比較では,各地域で約3.5万から3万年前に石刃技術が成立し,石器製作技術へ導入されたことが判明した.その状況は,技術や伝統を異にするいくつかの在地的な中期旧石器文化を基礎とし,各地域での自律的な技術発展の結果,石刃技術が成立し,石器製作技術へ組み込まれていったと想定できるものであった.仮に,地域間に石刃技術の伝播が存在していたとしても,それは限定されたものと考えられる.

Background: Here, we introduce our recent operative technique for ear elevation that results in (1) minimal morbidity for patients, (2) symmetric appearance, (3) clearer 3-dimensional structure with a deep concha, (4) good aesthetic appearance by hiding the grafted area behind the ear, and (5) maintenance of deep temporoauricular sulcus and angle. Methods: After a skin incision, the ear is elevated with temporoparietal fascia underlying the cartilage. On the conchal area, undermining is performed just below the skin so that the deep concavity can be maintained. Scalp and neck skin behind the ear is undermined subcutaneously and lifted up cranially to hide the entire area of grafted skin behind the ear. The postauricular surface is covered by full-thickness skin from the lower abdomen. A protective splint is applied for 3 months while sleeping. Results: A total of 137 ears in 121 patients were corrected with our technique and followed up for at least 3 years. All of the scar tissue could be hidden behind the ear, an aesthetically excellent result. Conclusions: Our technique made it possible to acquire an excellent and symmetrical shape of the ear. The important points in our procedure are as follows: (1) subcutaneous posterior undermining to enlarge the conchal cavity, (2) careful arrangement of the temporoauricular angle and auriculo-earlobe angle, (3) reduction in the area of temporally grafted skin to hide all scars behind the ear, and (4) protection of the ear to maintain the shape using a postoperative splint.

Aims: In IgA nephropathy, circulating immune complexes containing IgA1 are deposited on the glomerular mesangium, causing mesangial cell proliferation and acceleration of extracellular matrix production. The suppressive effect of jacalin, a galactose-binding lectin, on IgA production in vitro was determined. Materials & methods: Normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stimulated with plate-bound anti-CD3 and Th2 stimulation, with or without jacalin. Regulatory and effector cell subsets were determined by flow cytometry, and immunoglobulin production by ELISA. Results: Jacalin increased the ratio of CD4+CD25+CD152+ Tregs:effector T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures 60-fold. This CD4+CD25+CD152+ Treg increase may have inhibited Th2-stimulated IgA production by B cells. Conclusion: Immune tolerance induced by jacalin can suppress IgA production.

Transient vibration occurs out when the force acting on a system suddenly changes. Overshoot of the response is one of the evaluation points of the transient characteristics. However, it is difficult in a multi-degree-of-freedom system to reduce the overshoot without increasing damping. That is because so many vibrational components appear at once and interfere with each other. Sensitivity analysis has been used to improve eigenfrequencies, eigenmodes or transfer functions, but few applications are known in the field of time domain response. In this paper, improvement of the overshoot in transient vibration by sensitivity analysis is discussed.

For the purpose of improving the anti-asthmatic activity of 3-(imidazo[1,2-b]pyridazin-6-yl)thiopropanesulfonamide (I), the computer-assisted automated synthesis apparatus developed at Takeda was used to modify the sulfonamide moiety of I. Several kinds of sulfonamide derivatives (1-24) were easily obtained, confirming the usefulness of the automated synthesis apparatus in the laboratory. Anti-asthmatic activity of these derivatives was examined in a platelet activating factor (PAF)-induced bronchoconstriction. Among them, the piperidino-piperidine derivative (13) was found to possess comparable activity to that of I

The government of Japan assumes that a large portion of renewable energy in the near future will be provided by photovoltaic generation systems installed at end consumers. Thus, smart grids in Japan will be established mainly at the distribution and the end-consumer level of power systems. Considering this situation, the Smart Grid Working Group, created inside the Cooperative Study Group on Applications of Power Electronic Simulations of IEEJ (Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan), is currently discussing and developing standard simulation models for components of the distributionand the end-consumer-level power systems. These components include distribution substations, distribution lines, voltage regulation equipment, pole-mounted transformers, photovoltaic panels, power conditioning systems, Li-ion batteries, and small and micro wind power generation systems. The purpose of developing the standard models is to use in transient simulations related to smart grids. This paper describes the present state and the future plan of the development of the standard models.

This paper provides a standard motor model, parameters, and a design of controllers for simulation of motor drive systems. In the motor drives working group of Investigating R&D Committee on applied simulation for power electronics systems in IEEJ, standard models for simulation of motor drive systems have been discussed. Parameters of more than 330 motors have been gathered from among released data sheets and specifications from manufacturers, IEEE transactions, IEEJ papers, and JIPE papers. Tendency of the parameters have been also investigated. A simulation example based on the investigation of dc motors is shown and the validity is demonstrated.

This paper describes the development of fully-automated synthesis systems for preparing and isolating various kinds of pharmaceutical compounds. The systems are versatile, and are able to perform most of the chemical reactions currently used in organic chemistry, with the exception of hydrogenation which requires high pressure. An additional benefit is the very user-friendly software.

Bromine–metal exchange of o -bromobenzoic acid ( 1 ) with Bu 2 Mg followed by n -BuLi was successfully carried out at non-cryogenic temperature (>−20°C), and gave a stabilized metal species which smoothly reacted with several electrophiles. This methodology expanded to several other bromides bearing proton donating groups (PDGs).

Recently, synchronous reluctance motors (SynRMs) have attracted study because of their favorable properties, including limited thermal expansion of the shaft due to low heat generation by the rotor, the ability to drive at high velocity, a low degree of torque ripple and an absence of demagnetization problems. Sensorless control of SynRMs is now desired, and several methods have been proposed. These methods, however, have difficulties at low speed when the voltage signal necessary to estimate rotor position is very small. The authors have proposed a new position estimation method using high-frequency extended e.m.f. (EEMF) in which high-frequency voltage and current are calculated using a disturbance observer. Simulations have shown the new method to be very useful. In this paper, it is shown, experimentally, that it is possible to control the motor at low speeds without the position and velocity sensor using the new proposed method.

AIM To apply nutrition care management to elderly female patients, we predicted serum albumin (s-Alb) levels by non-invasive factors. METHODS After excluding patients with lesions/diseases which were directly related to s-Alb levels, we investigated 147 elderly women aged 75-years or over who were taking meals orally and were hospitalized from April 2008 to April 2009 at a hospital in Toyota. The patients were classified into 2 groups, one of patients with s-Alb levels of 3.5 g/dl or below (n=80), and the other of those with s-Alb levels of over 3.5 g/dl (n=67). Between the 2 groups, we examined differences in age, body mass index (BMI), living arrangements, necessary nursing care level (NNCL), bed confinement level (BCL), OH scale level (OHSL), and dietary intake either by the Student t-test, Mann-Whitney U test or chi-square test. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated among s-Alb levels and selected variables. Taking into account the correlation coefficients, we conducted multiple regression analysis adopting the s-Alb level as a dependent variable and non-invasive factors as independent variables. For all the performed tests and analyses, a p value of less than 0.05 (on two-tailed analysis) was assumed to represent a statistically significant difference. RESULTS S-Alb level was significantly associated with variables, including age, BMI, NNCL, BCL, OHSL, and percentage of protein intake (PPI). Multiple regression analysis revealed 4 significant variables: age, BCL, OHSL, and PPI. The multiple regression equation was y=4.977-(0.098×OHSL)-(0.080×BCL)-(0.016×age)+(0.003×PPI), and the multiple correlation coefficient R(2) was 0.398 (p

The effects of lactosucrose (4G-β-D-galactosylsucrose) on fecal flora and fecal putrefactive products were studied in 3 Himalayan and 5 Persian cats fed 175 mg of lactosutrose/each/day for 2 weeks. During lactosucrose administration, the counts of lactobacilli increased significantly (p

Transient vibration occurs out when the force acting on a system suddenly changes. Overshoot of the response is one of the evaluation points of the transient characteristics. However, it is difficult in a multi-degree-of-freedom system to reduce the overshoot without increasing damping. That is because so many vibrational components appear at once and interfere with each other. Sensitivity analysis has been used to improve eigenfrequencies, eigenmodes or transfer functions, but few applications are known in the field of time domain response. In this paper, improvement of the overshoot in a transient vibration through the sensitivity analysis is discussed.

Power generation characteristics of a horizontal tidal current power generation system have been investigated. At first, a model test had been carried out at laboratory level for finding more optimal shapes of the turbine of the generation system. Secondly, two tests had been carried out for two model sizes (medium size: 1.2m × 0.65m, large size: 6.0m × 3.0m). In the laboratory test, the constructed systems have been tested under three different current speeds, 1.35knot, 1.5knot and 2knot. Five different model shapes (A50, SE50, S50, S55, S65) have been tested. The width of the blade installed around the body is 50mm. To investigate the flow characteristics around the turbine blades, a PIV test had been carried out under electric load conditions. The power generation performances had been obtained from this model test. Among the models it had been verified that the S65 has the highest efficiency of power generation. The power generation characteristics of two model sizes that have the optimal shape had been investigated. The medium one had been tested under 1.5knot, 2.0knot, 2.5knot and 3.0knot. The large one was done under 4.28knot.

A new strategy based on polymerization-induced phase separation techniques is utilized to produce palladium nanoparticles captured in a microporous network polymer.

Power generation characteristics of two generator systems consisting of a permanent magnet synchronous generator and diode bridge rectifiers are discussed in this paper. One of the discussed systems has three-phase stator windings, and the other has two sets of three-phase (six-phase) stator windings to reduce pulsation in the electromagnetic torque and DC current. Experimental results reveal that the power generation efficiency of the system having six-phase stator windings is higher than that of the system having three-phase stator windings for a light load. The maximum power generation efficiency of the system having six-phase stator windings is almost the same as that of the system having three-phase stator windings.

Bromine–metal exchange of o -bromobenzoic acid ( 1 ) with Bu 2 Mg followed by n -BuLi was successfully carried out at non-cryogenic temperature (>−20°C), and gave a stabilized metal species which smoothly reacted with several electrophiles. This methodology expanded to several other bromides bearing proton donating groups (PDGs).

A multilayered microchip (25 x 95 mm) used for vacuum distillation is designed, fabricated and tested by rectification of a water-methanol mixture. The polymer chip employs a cooling channel to generate a temperature gradient along a distillation channel below, which is separated into a channel (72 microm deep) for liquid phase and a channel (72 microm deep) for vapor phase by an incorporated microporous poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) membrane. The temperature gradient is controlled by adjusting hotplate temperature and flow rate of cooling water to make the temperatures in the stripping section higher than the increasing boiling points of the water-enriched liquids and the temperatures in the rectifying section lower than the decreasing dew points of the methanol-enriched vapors. The effects of temperature gradient, feed composition, feed flow rate and membrane pore size on the micro distillation are also investigated. A theoretical plate number up to 1.8 is achieved at the optimum conditions.

A new strategy based on polymerization-induced phase separation (PIPS) techniques was proposed for fabricating palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) captured in a microporous network polymer. Pd(OAc)(2) was premixed with a monomer having a poly(amidoamine)-based dendrimer ligand, and subsequently this was thermally polymerized with an excess amount of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate under PIPS conditions. In this system, the formation of PdNPs occurred concurrently with the polymer synthesis in a one-pot process, even with no additional reducing reagent. The resultant microporous polymer was found to have a mesoporosity; the nitrogen sorption analysis gave a specific-surface area of 511 m(2) g(-1), an average pore diameter of 9.9 nm, and a total pore volume of 1.01 mL g(-1). The TEM images of the polymer revealed that the created PdNPs were very small with a diameter of mainly ca. 2.0 nm; the high-resolution images were lattice-resolvable, showing the crystalline nature of the PdNPs (Pd(111) facets). Catalytic performances of the PdNP-containing microporous polymers were investigated for a heterogeneous Suzuki-Miyaura reaction of 4'-bromoacetophenone and phenylboronic acid in water. In the presence of 10(-2) molar equiv of the polymer, the reaction efficiently proceeded at 80 degrees C and gave the desired product, 4-acetylbiphenyl, in >90% yield after 2 h. On the basis of the ICP-AES analysis, the Pd content released into the solution phase was estimated to be only 0.27% of the initial charge. Thereby, this polymer was successfully recovered by simple filtration and reused with only a minimal loss of activity (yield >90% even at the eighth run). When the catalytic reaction was examined with a low amount of the polymer catalyst, the turnover number (TON) reached 8.5 x 10(4) while maintaining a good yield. Finally, the dendrimer template effect of the polymer catalyst was discussed by referring to the catalytic performances of a control polymer prepared with nonintegrated ligand monomers.

Aqueous Bilayers of Glutamate-Based Double-Chain Ammonium Amphiphiles II. Improvement of Polymerization and Membrane Characteristics by Ether-Linked Alkyl Tails

Planar bilayer membranes were obtained from polymerized double-chain ammonium amphiphiles. Their properties were closely related to those of the corresponding aqueous bilayers, and a life time longer than one day was observed for a well-organized polymer sample.

Direct measurements of forces between stable hydrophobic monolayers are performed, revealing very long-range attraction which extends to a separation of 300 nm in pure water. The attraction decreases in the presence of NaBr, while the pull-off force changes only moderately.

Se-Alkynyl selenocarboxylates (1) were found to readily react with alcohols and amines to give O-alkyl selenocarboxylates (4) and selenoamides (6) in moderate to good yields, respectively. The formation mechanisms of 4 and 6 via selenoketene and ammonium alkyneselenolate, respectively, are proposed.

Photocatalyst can reform CO2 into fuel-like species of CO, CH4, C2H4 and C2H6. However, the amount of product by reforming is still low as it is reported that the reforming concentration of product is from 100 to 10000 ppmV. In this paper, we apply TiO2, which is the best photocatalyst, film coated on Cu substrate by a sol-gel and dip-coating method. To promote reforming performance of TiO2 film, the influence of photocatalyst film forming conditions, which are coating number of TiO2 film, firing duration time, and amount of TiO2 in one layer of film, on CO2 reforming has been investigated. Additionally, the relationship between reforming performance and film surface characteristic has been examined. As a result, the reforming performance of TiO2 film is promoted with increasing coating number and prolonging firing duration time thanks to expansion of film surface area and increase in activity point. It is necessary to adjust the amount of TiO2 in one layer of film according to coating number for obtaining a high performance of TiO2.

Photocatalyst mass conversion of CO2 into fuel-like species like CH4, C2H4, C2H6 and CO is an attractive technique as the element of carbon cycle construction for CO2 emission originated from fossil fuel combustion. Feasibility studies of photocatalytic conversion of CO2 into fuel-like species have been performed, but their converted yields remain small within the order from 10 to 100 ppm. In order to promote the yield of CO2 photocatalyst conversion into fuel, innovative techniques are needed first for TiO2 film formation. In this paper, we propose a multilayer TiO2 film coated on Cu substrate by a sol-gel and dip-coating technique. The film layer numbers are 1, 3, 7, and 11. The yield experiment of the photocatalyst film is carried out by using a cylindrical reactor. CO2 gas saturated with H2O vapor is filled in the reactor. The chemical species are detected by a gas chromatograph. Various kinds of film configuration are tested and their surfaces are observed by SEM and EDX. As a result, higher reforming concentration, energy efficiency, and quantum efficiency is acquired at larger film layer number since the activity of photocatalytic reaction is promoted with increasing film layer number. The higher progressive effect for CO conversion into CH4 due to multilayer TiO2 film is clarified. The innovative photocatalytic film having a high yield over 10800 ppm of CH4 and 18000 ppm of CO for the CO2 conversion into fuel-like species is realized with the aid of multilayer TiO2 film coated on Cu substrate by a sol-gel and dip-coating technique. This high yield is marvelous compared with the other reports.

A novel formulation of induction machines with modified nodal analysis is proposed for simulations of power electronics systems. The size of formulated matrix of a three-phase induction machine becomes 15/spl times/15, which includes the voltage and torque equations. The simulation written in C++ programming language and experiment of the generator system, which consists of a cascaded induction generator and a six-pulse rectifier, were carried out. These results prove the effectiveness of the proposed formulation.

An inflammatory pseudotumor (IPT), known as a plasma cell granuloma, is a relatively uncommon neoplasm with an unidentified etiology. To our knowledge, an early relapse with multiple lung nodules following lung resection and occurrences in multiple organs is extremely rare. The patient was a 49-year-old man who presented with left chest pain and fever. A chest film demonstrated an 8x8 cm mass in the left lower lobe. During thoracotomy in April 2001, a mass was seen to have invaded the diaphragm with remarkable pleural adhesion. The intraoperative pathological diagnosis was infiltration of inflammatory cells with no malignancy. Therefore, a partial resection of the left lower lobe was performed. Three months after the thoracotomy, a chest CT scan disclosed multiple nodular opacities bilaterally, and an open lung-biopsy of the right lung was performed in January 2002. His past history included an excision of a mass on the penis in another hospital in 1994 and a subcutaneous mass that appeared on the right thigh and disappeared spontaneously following a needle biopsy in 1999. Pathologically there was no fundamental difference among his present lesion and the former two. The pathological diagnosis at each occurrence was inflammatory pseudotumor (IPT). In immunohistochemical study, the staining with smooth muscle actin cells was positive, but was negative for the staining with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). With no evidence of a neoplastic process, these histopathological and immunohistochemical findings could imply that this case may be a postinflammatory reparative reaction, although his condition exhibited the clinically aggressive behavior of suspected lung metastasis.

A novel variable-speed cascaded induction generator system is proposed for small-scale hydroelectric power plants, in which the second induction generator has double three-phase stator windings (or six-phase windings). The proposed low-cost system can provide a brushless, robust structure and less distorted currents without using an expensive PWM rectifier on the machine side and an expensive adjustable-blade water turbine. The simulated results showed that the system has sufficient capabilities for practical use.

Background Here, we introduce our recent operative technique for ear elevation that results in (1) minimal morbidity for patients, (2) symmetric appearance, (3) clearer 3-dimensional structure with a deep concha, (4) good aesthetic appearance by hiding the grafted area behind the ear, and (5) maintenance of deep temporoauricular sulcus and angle. Methods After a skin incision, the ear is elevated with temporoparietal fascia underlying the cartilage. On the conchal area, undermining is performed just below the skin so that the deep concavity can be maintained. Scalp and neck skin behind the ear is undermined subcutaneously and lifted up cranially to hide the entire area of grafted skin behind the ear. The postauricular surface is covered by full-thickness skin from the lower abdomen. A protective splint is applied for 3 months while sleeping. Results A total of 137 ears in 121 patients were corrected with our technique and followed up for at least 3 years. All of the scar tissue could be hidden behind the ear, an aesthetically excellent result. Conclusions Our technique made it possible to acquire an excellent and symmetrical shape of the ear. The important points in our procedure are as follows: (1) subcutaneous posterior undermining to enlarge the conchal cavity, (2) careful arrangement of the temporoauricular angle and auriculo-earlobe angle, (3) reduction in the area of temporally grafted skin to hide all scars behind the ear, and (4) protection of the ear to maintain the shape using a postoperative splint.

A calcium-binding protein, regucalcin, was isolated from rat liver cytosol. Rabbit-anti-regucalcin antiserum, which was raised against regucalcin conjugated by glutaraldehyde to bovine serum albumin, was applied to glutaraldehyde-fixed whole mounts and subsequently visualized using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase methods. Rat hepatic regucalcin immunoreactivity was most pronounced in the liver and brain of rats, while it was not seen in the duodenum, testicle, spleen, lung and smooth muscle (bladder), and appeared only slightly in the kidney and heart. Control experiments using non-immune sera or adsorbed anti-rat liver regucalcin antiserum showed no staining. The present finding suggests that regucalcin localizes in the liver and brain of rats.

A TiO2 and apatite coated fibrous ceramics photocatalyst filter has been developed. This filter has a function to absorb and decompose bacteria and various other materials. TiO2 was coated on the surface of the fibrous ceramics by a sol-gel method, then the filter was soaked in a pseudo-body solution containing excessive phosphate ion for 1 day at 37°C. In this research, it is recognized that this filter has absorbed and decomposed colon bacillus, methylene blue and acetaldehyde effectively.

We have developed a methodology for the two-dimensional multilayer formation of polypyridine ruthenium complexes on solid surfaces under mild conditions. The alternate multilayers of the ruthenium ...

This paper reports on fabrication of water-compatible palladium nanoparticle (PdNP) catalysts supported on microporous polymers, which show high activity and extremely low Pd leaching behaviour in the usage for carbon cross-coupling reactions. The supported PdNP catalysts were fabricated by utilizing the polymerization-induced phase separation (PIPS) method. An outstanding point of the present study is to use a small molecule ligand monomer (D-m) based on N,N-dimethyl ethylenediamine, instead of the PAMAM dendrimer-based monomer used previously having integrated ligand sites. When D-m that had been complexed with Pd2+ was copolymerized with excess 1,6-hexanediol dimethacrylate (HX) in the PIPS setup, a highly active catalytic polymer (D-HX) having extremely low Pd leaching characteristics was successfully obtained. The TEM images of D-HX revealed that the created PdNPs were small with a diameter of mainly ca. 5.0 nm. Catalytic performances of D-HX were investigated for a heterogeneous Suzuki–Miyaura reaction in water. In the presence of 10−2 molar equiv. of the polymer, the reaction efficiently proceeded at 80 °C and gave the desired product in ca. 90% yield after 2 h. D-HX could be easily recovered by simple filtration and reused with only a minimal loss of activity. Intriguingly, the hot filtration test indicated that nearly no Pd species was thermally released from D-HX, which is in large contrast with the results of other polymers tested herein leading to a lot of Pd leaching. Through this study, it was demonstrated that the microscopic structure of the polymer supports could be well-controlled by changing the structure of monomers and it was closely related to the Pd leaching behaviour of the present heterogeneous catalysis systems.

Inspired by naturally occurring superhydrophobic surfaces, a number of approaches have been attempted to create specific surfaces having both micro- and nanoscale textures. To bring the artificial superhydrophobic surfaces closer to practical applications, a widely usable and simpler method that is systematically derived is required. Here, we describe a unique UV light-triggered micro/nanofabrication system for creating superhydrophobic surfaces, where the basic idea underlying this method comes from polymerization-induced phase separation (PIPS) phenomena. The operation consists of a three-step sequence and can be quickly performed within several minutes under an open-air condition: (1) coating of a precursor mixture for PIPS on a substrate, (2) UV curing to induce phase separation between the growing polymers and solvents, and (3) ethanol flushing to remove solvents to leave a specific texture at the surface. By selecting appropriate components of the PIPS mixture (cross-linkable monomers, solvents, and soluble polymer additives), phase separation rapidly and effectively occurred even in the film UV-polymerization format through the increasing thermodynamic instability; thereby specialized surfaces having micro- and nanoscale textures could be logically constructed. On the basis of the systematic investigation, this method was thus proved to be versatile and applicable for rational design of creating both transparent superhydrophobic films and water repellent fabric textiles.

The potential in the plasma core of the Large Helical Device (LHD) was measured with the 6 MeV Heavy Ion Beam Probe (HIBP). The radial profile of the potential in the region where the normalized minor radius, ρ, is less than 0.5 was measured and the electric field obtained from the fitting function of the experimental data was compared with that calculated from neoclassical ambipolarity. The experimental results coincide well with the theoretical calculations. Negative pulses were observed in the potential signal in the inward shifted magnetic configuration. The time constants of these pulses were less than the energy confinement time. Potential fluctuations of the coherent modes were also observed, and one of their frequencies coincided with the geodesic acoustic mode (GAM). In this report, the present status of potential measurements with the HIBP system in LHD is described. c