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A monoenergetic positron beam has been used to investigate the state of interstitial oxygen in Czochralski‐grown Si with coverage of SiO2 (100 nm) and poly‐Si (200 nm)/SiO2 (100 nm), respectively. It was found that (i) the growth of SiO2 gives rise to a strong Doppler broadening of positrons in the bulk of Si and (ii) such a broadening can be recovered to the original level by annealing at 450 °C, by the removal of overlayers using chemical etching and by long‐term aging at room temperature. This broadening was assigned to arise from the positron trapping by oxygen interstitial clusters. It was concluded that film stress is responsible for the rearrangement of oxygen atoms in Czochralski‐grown Si.

The three-dimensional electron-positron momentum densities in paramagnetic Cr and W are reconstructed from measurements of two-dimensional angular correlation of positron annihilation radiations (2D-ACAR) by the image reconstruction technique based on a direct Fourier transformation. The experimental momentum density for paramagnetic Cr and W shows the contribution of the Fermi surface sheets; the electron surface at Γ, the hole surface at H, the hole surface at N. The Fermi surface topology obtained from the present results agrees with the theory and other experiments. La trois demensionne electron-positron impulsion densite de paramagnetetique Cr et W a ete reconstruit de mesures de deux dimensionne angulaire correlation de position aneantissement radiations (2D-ACAR) par la image reconstruction technique base sur une directe Fourier transformation. L'experimentateur impulsion densite pour paramagentique Cr et W montre la contribution de la Fermi surface feuille; la electron feuille a Γ, la trou feulle a H, la trou feuille a N. La Ferme surface topologie, qui a ete obteni des present resultats, consentissent a la theorie et autre experiences.

The authors describe the development trends and results of millimeter-wave systems in Japan in such fields as communication, radar, and measurement systems. The applications included are the W-40G waveguide transmission communication system, an automobile traffic control system using the 60-GHz band, a collision avoidance radar system for an automobile, a plasma electron density measuring system, and satellite communication. The authors describe the development of devices such as high-power FET amplifiers, traveling wave tube amplifiers (TWTAs), IMPATT amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers, and monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) devices used in constructing the millimeter-wave systems. >

Influences of diazepam, a benzodiazepine derivative, on the contractile response to calcium in skinned trabecular fibers of guinea pig heart were examined. Diazepam (100 microM) enhanced the contractile response of the skinned fiber to calcium and shifted the concentration-response curve to the left. The pCa50 values were 6.07+/-0.03 and 6.28+/-0.03 (P0.05) in the absence and presence of diazepam, respectively. This result suggests that diazepam increases calcium sensitivity of contractile proteins in heart muscles.

The effect of the recovery speed of lubricant on the durability of particulate magnetic media is presented in this paper. The use of newly synthesized perfluoropolyethers (PEPEs) in particulate media allows us to evaluate the amount of surface lubricant and the migration by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The migration rate of the lubricant is evaluated as the change of the XPS peak area after argon etching to remove the surface lubricant. A recovery speed depends on the kind of lubricant and way of coating. Furthermore, lubricant of higher recovery speed has better stability of friction coefficient.

In order to reduce undesirable emissions from PCBs, it is important to clarify the mechanism of emissions which occur from bends in transmission lines. We have proposed a method of visualizing Poynting and wave-number vectors that reveals the direction electromagnetic wave propagate. This ability contributes to a better understanding of the propagation mechanism that cannot be recognized from near-EM-field and far-field patterns. In this report, we visualized emissions from a bend of transmission line by using the proposed method. It is found that electromagnetic energy increases around the outside of the bend, then while most of the energy propagates along the transmission line, some of the energy goes outside the line. On the other hand, we found that the wave front of the electric field proceed straight outside without turning around the bend.

Nanocrystalline FeSi2 (NC-FeSi2) thin films were grown on Si(111) substrates by facing-targets DC sputtering at room temperature using FeSi2 targets. The NC-FeSi2 films showed hopping conduction behavior, which was confirmed by the temperature dependence of the electric conductivity. n-Type NC-FeSi2/p-type Si and n-type NC-FeSi2/i-Si/p-type Si heterojunctions were prepared to be employed as photovoltaics. For the p-i-n heterojunctions, i-Si thin layer reduced the leakage current and improved photovoltaic properties as compared to the p-n heterojunctions. This improvement might be due to the i-Si layer that acts as a leakage blocking layer rather than a light absorption layer.

We developed a new flow cytometry analysis method using a crossover analysis of emission light from intracellular DNA/RNA. Both the RNA and the DNA content in each cell were new parameters obtained by fluorescence analysis using acridine orange supravital stain. With this method, two-dimensional diagrams produced by cellular RNA concentration (CRc) and cellular DNA concentration (CDc) enabled clear separation of red cells and platelets, and the diagram (RNP Diagram) also distinguished fluorescently stained blood cells and small particles derived from background dust of the reagent. This study assessed the capability of RNP Determination concerning reticulocyte count and accurate platelet count obtained by the ratio of red cells and platelets. The distance of each event between red cell distribution and platelet distribution was sufficiently large on the diagram, and the two regions did not overlap. Both reticulocyte count and platelet count showed excellent correlation with those obtained by their respective reference methods. In conclusion, this new assay, using RNP Determination, demonstrated great potential for detecting abnormalities of red cells and platelets.

The three dimensional electron-positron momentum density in niobium has been reconstructed from measurements of two dimensional angular correlation of positron annihilation radiations (2D-ACAR) followed by the image reconstruction technique based on a direct Fourier transformation. We determined the position of the Fermi surface sheets; Γ-centered hole octahedron, multiply connected jungle-gym arms and N -centered hole ellipsoids. The Fermi surface topology is in good agreement with the theory.

Thymosin beta 4 (T beta 4) was originally isolated as a thymic hormone. Its functional properties remain obscure; however, the N-terminal peptidic sequence could have a regulatory function on hematopoietic stem cell proliferation. To investigate the mechanism of T beta 4 expression, we studied T beta 4 gene expression in various leukemic cells and in established cell lines. Among leukemic cell samples obtained from leukemia patients, the T beta 4 gene was highly expressed in a lymphoid lineage, especially in adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) cells, rather than in a granulocyte lineage. The T beta 4 gene was more transcriptionally active in chronic B-cell leukemia than in acute B- cell leukemia, while it was inactive in plasma cell leukemia. We also found that cells from one of the ATL patients transcribed a heterogeneous message. T beta 4 messenger RNA increased in MOLT-3 during differentiation by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), in HL60 cells induced by TPA or dimethylsulfoxide and K562 cells stimulated by cytosine arabinoside or hemin. The genomic sequence of T beta 4 is considered to be highly conserved. Only 1 of 20 genomes from normal or hematopoietic malignant cells showed restriction fragment length polymorphism. These findings, along with previous data, suggest that T beta 4 may be a new marker of differentiation of hematopoietic cells.

A series of kinetic and simulation studies of four reactions consisting of the UT-3 cycle was made aiming at industrialization of this process. This cycle is given by 1 CaBr 2 (s)+H 2 O(g)→CaO(s)+2HBr(g) 2 CaO(s)+Br 2 (g)→CaBr(s)+1⧸20 2 (g) 3 Fe 3 O 4 (s)+8HBr(g)→3FeBr 2 (s)+4H 2 O(g)+Br 2 (g) 4 3FeBr 2 (s)+4H 2 O(g)→Fe 3 O 4 (s)+6HBr(g)+H 2 (g) This paper deals with rate expressions of these gas-solid reactions experimentally measured. Then, a simulation model for four fixed-bed reactors, in which four reactions are performed, and the calculation results are described. Also, the concept of process simulator is explained.

Recently, a lot of people use massage chair. However, a current massage chair has only realized the movement programed beforehand. Generally, a professional masseur's massage process is that a human skin elasticity is estimated by palpate, and a impressed force is decided depending on the estimated elasticity. Then, this paper newly proposes the control strategy of the similar professional masseur's process. The elasticity of user's massage part is estimated by the displacement, the velocity, and the impressed force of the massage unit in the proposed method. Afterwards, the appropriately impressed force is decided depending on the estimated elasticity, and the decided impressed force is realized by the impedance control. The appropriate massage is realized for everyone by the proposed method. The possibility of these techniques was confirmed by the simulation and experiment, and the utility of the proposed method was confirmed by comparing with the conventional one.

Objectives To clarify the role of granzyme B in acute coronary syndrome. Design and Setting Granzyme B is a member of the serine esterase family released from cytotoxic lymphocytes and plays an important role in cellular apoptosis by activating intracellular caspases. We compared the granzyme B expression between patients with stable and unstable angina pectoris (UAP). Patients We enrolled 173 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). We found 84 patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP) and 89 patients with UAP. Methods Peripheral blood was drawn from the patients. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated by gradient centrifugation were cultured at a density of 2 X 10 6 cells/mL for 24 hours. The supernatants were collected 24 hours after incubation and the granzyme B level was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Polychromic flow cytometric analysis was performed to evaluate the expression of granzyme B in the cells. Results Granzyme B production from PBMCs of UAP patients was significantly higher than those in patients with SAP (39.1±6.6 versus 17.0±1.8 pg/mL, p

This paper first illustrates a state estimator with a quadratic-constant objective function in which the detection and rejection of bad data, or faulty measurements, are merely consequences of the objective function form. Then, as countermeasures for multiple interacting gross bad data, a novel implementation of bad data rejection scheme is proposed and applied to this estimator. In this scheme, both bad and suspected measurements are removed from calculation so as to avoid deterioration of the state estimate, and thus avoid misidentifications of non-faulty measurements. Furthermore the optimal multiplier mu , calculated using a subroutine taking into account the bad and suspected measurements, is introduced to compensate for the reduced redundancy, improve convergence characteristics, and properly detect bad data. Numerical simulations are carried out using the IEEE 6, 30, and 118 bus test models to verify the validity of the proposed method.

A 52-year-old male presented with right sudden deafness and left isolated limb sensory disturbance following posterior neck pain. An examination revealed a mild degree of right sensory neural hearing loss and decreased pain and thermal sensation in the left side below the L3 level. Brain MRI showed a small lesion in the midlateral portion of the right middle-rostral medulla. The combination of the image findings suggests a right lateral medullary infarction caused by a vertebral artery (VA) dissection. In our case, the fibers carrying the modalities of the lateral spinothalamic tract restricted to below the L3 level, sparing other sensations, suggest a selective involvement. This finding suggests that sensory dermatomal representation in the modality may be preserved at least up to the level of the medulla oblongata. Moreover, in our case, the small emboli originating from the dissected VA possibly caused a small selective cochlear infarction. This type of embolism may give rise to various combinations of symptoms depending on the branches involved. For patients with an acute onset of headache or neck pain who present with isolated limb sensory disturbance accompanied by sudden deafness, even without the classical brainstem signs, a VA dissection and medullary infarction should therefore be considered.

AMHS (automated material handling system) vendors are being expected not only to offer transport capabilities but also to guarantee its contribution to entire fab productivities. One of essential techniques for realizing this is estimation with using simulation studies prior to installation of AMHS into a fab. However traditional framework of AMHS simulation cannot enable to estimate entire fab productivities. This paper describes a new simulation framework for estimation of entire fab productivities, which describes what should be modeled and how they should be modeled.

Background—Gastric stump cancer (GSC) is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, and consequently the prognosis is poor.Aims—To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of GSC at an early stage to assist in its identification, and thereby improve its prognosis.Methods—Forty three patients with resected early GSC were compared with 156 patients with resected primary early cancer in the upper third of the stomach.Results—Sixty five per cent (28/43) of the early GSC patients showed the elevated type endoscopically, although the frequency of the depressed type in GSC has tended to increase in the past five years. This occurred in less than 26% (40/156) of the primary early cancers. Half of the early GSCs were located on the lesser curvature (47%), and revealed differentiated adenocarcinoma (81%) histologically. The male:female ratio of early GSC cases was about 6:1, which was much higher than that in patients with primary early cancer. The five year survival rates of patients with early GSCs and early primary cancers were 84% and 95%, respectively. GSC had a favourable prognosis, if it was detected at an early stage.Conclusion—To detect early GSC, our results suggest that special attention should be given to elevated as well as depressed lesions on the lesser curvature of the stomach, particularly in men, during endoscopic examinations.

Quantitative chemical analysis of the actual carbon surface was investigated by surface modification technique using fluorine compound prior to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements. The number of surface functional groups was obtained from the ratio of the fluorine and carbon in the XPS spectrum. Hydroxyl group is rich immediately after deposition but carbonyl concentration increases with exposure time. Adsorption of perfluoropolyether lubricant depends on the such chemical composition of the functional groups.

A new humanoid robot-WABIAN-2- that can be used as a human motion simulator is proposed in this paper. Its trunk is designed in order to permit rotation, and forward, backward, and sideway movement. Further, its arms are designed to support its complete weight when pushing a walk-assist machine. Moreover, it can lean on a walk-assist machine by forearm control using trunk motion. Basic walking experiments with WABIAN-2 are conducted with and without a walk-assist machine, thereby confirming its effectiveness

Nichia confirmed using bandwidth of relaxation oscillation and driving over threshold current of laser diode for HFM are effective for optical feedback to laser diode and high speed data reading such as 12X.

In this study, we report Ni silicide and germanide technology for ohmic contacts and metal gates in MOSFET applications. We have systematically investigated the crystalline structures and the electrical properties of NiSi and Ni(Si1-alphaGe;alpha) layers formed on Si and Si1-x-yGexCy, respectively. We have also characterized Ni germanides for metal gates with various metal-germanium composition ratios

The role of the under layer on surface smoothness and friction for a double-layered particulate tape was investigated. A smooth-surfaced under layer is obtained by highly dispersing particles in the under layer, which makes the surface of the double-layered tape smoother than that of the single-layered magnetic tape. The friction coefficient of the double-layered tape is lower than that of the single-layered tape despite its smoother surface. In addition, it is steady after storage under an accelerated condition, because lubricant is prone to be supplied toward the surface from the under layer.

A wavelet image compression method using sub-block DCT is presented. The presented method is a hybrid type of DWT and DCT. The sub-block DCT is employed to the DWT-details. DWT-details have usually zero mean and small variance and hence the sub-block DCT method is very efficient. The size of sub-block for DCT is 8/spl times/8 pixel for level 1 DWT-details and 4/spl times/4 pixel for level 2 DWT-details. The simulation examples show that the presented method gives a better picture quality that of the usual JPEG method.

The novel technique of analyzing the spatial distribution of minority carrier diffusion length was investigated in detail by utilizing the photographic surveying of electroluminescence emitted from polycrystalline Si cells. The emitted infrared light (peak wavelength: 1150 nm) from a sample cell under the forward bias was captured by a cooled CCD camera. The intensity was found to be proportional to the minority carrier diffusion length regardless of the running current density, which gave the quantitative information of the minority carrier diffusion length distribution with high reliability. The deteriorated areas and/or aggregation of defects were detected by a simple one-shot capturing of the emitted light.

The intra-grain defects in polycrystalline Si solar cells were detected for the first time by photographic surveying of light emission from the cell under reverse bias. Emission in visible wavelength region was induced by the hot carriers excited by high electric field surrounding the intra-grain defects. Size and distribution of the defects could be analyzed photographically. The distribution of the bright-spots in the emission photograph was corresponded to the dark areas (i.e. the intra-grain defects) observed by the conventional electron beam induced current (EBIC) and the laser beam induced current (LBIC) methods. The visible wavelength light with a broad spectrum was due to the intra- and inter-band radiative transitions. This photographic surveying method is readily effective to detect the electrically active defects such as the intra-grain defects without any probing tools.

Reduction of rear surface recombination velocity (S/sub r/) in monocrystalline thin silicon (c-Si) solar cells is important to achieve high conversion efficiency. We propose an evaluation technique of rear passivation effect in thin monocrystalline silicon solar cells by emission microscope. Light emission from the solar cell was detected by a charge coupled device (CCD) camera. We have found that the intensity distribution of light emission correlate closely with the minority carrier density. In thin c-Si solar cells (L>cell thickness), the minority carrier density was affected by S/sub r/, which was estimated from the emission intensity. The passivated and non-passivated rear surface areas were evaluated at the same time, the difference of emission intensity was detected. We considered that distribution of emission intensity showed distribution of S/sub r/.

In a motion detection area, technology such as pattern recognition through pattern matching and/or a neural network is often used. Although the algorithm "motion vector detection" for checking the motion in MPEG has been exploited, it is only for detecting the highest correlation block of a local area between adjacent frames and does not detect a motion of the same objective portion exactly. Hence it has a little lack of reliability for the motion detection. In this research the difference between the continuation frames of a video picture is utilized. The DCT of the difference can be implemented in a very short time, the alteration of the amplitude of each frequency domain is classified as a pattern in real time, and finally the state of the motion is estimated. In this way the weak point of the conventional method is also avoidable.

The Nobeyama 45m telescope[1, Fig.1] was designed for operation at millimeter wavelengths. The surface of the telescope consists of 600 panels, the mean accuracy of which is about 60 \mu m rms. At initial setting of panels, laser ranging theodolite was used for surveying the surface. However, the surface accuracy of the main reflector has been limited by the measuring error in the method. To improve the accuracy in surveying the surface, an instrument based on radio holographic technique[2, 3] has been developed. Signals at 19.45GHz from the Japanese communications satellites CS-2a and 2b were used for the measurements. The radio holography using geostationary satellites has following advantages for achieving high accuracy. First, as the elevation angle of the telescope is almost constant, it is easier to reduce the influences of pointing errors and the gravitational deformations during the measurements. Second, signal to noise ratio is much higher than using astronomical radio sources.

This study aims to investigate the characteristics of oil permeation into sea ice in order to provide basic information for the oil spill combating in Okhotsk Sea in winter. A series of experiment was carried out in the ice tank. In the experiment, oil ice sandwich of about 0.2 m in thickness was created from saline water, and then the brine volume and air of ice, content of oil in ice were examined in every 5.0 cm thick layer of the model ice. From the experiment, the relationship between void ratio of ice and content of oil in ice, and behavior of oil trapped in ice were discussed

Inland navigation played a key role in physical distribution in earlier times. As railways and roads developed, however, inland navigation declined. Recently, inland navigation has drawn renewed attention due to its ability to reduce physical distribution costs and mitigate global environmental concerns. Ishikari River is located in a cold region, and it is known that the water surface is freezes in the winter season. Therefore countermeasures against ice-related problems are needed for facilities supporting inland navigation. In this study, some measures against ice buildup on lock walls are considered

Acrylic resins that emit red, green, or blue (RGB) phosphorescence were fabricated. Mixtures of an organic dye and green phosphor created bright afterglow emission in the spectral region from yellow to red, which were difficult to attain with conventional red phosphors. Rhodamine and kiton were suitable for converting green phosphorescence to orange or red fluorescence. The resins continued to glow in darkness for longer than 3 h after an excitation lamp had been turned off. This long-afterglow characteristic of the current dye/phosphor mixtures was in a remarkable contrast with the fast phosphorescence decay of the conventional red phosphors (10-20 min). These red afterglow resins improve visibility of emergency signs, and realize warm-colored illumination that provides a sense of security in darkness.

Direct tool-to-tool delivery is one of technical topics for excellent fab performance. Automatic material handling system (AMHS) vendors supply unified OHT systems that can provide direct tool-to-tool delivery routes. But providing such routes is not sufficient to realize direct deliveries. The purpose of our study is to identify remaining issues required to realize direct tool-to-tool delivery. Our conclusions are: (1) AMHS cannot realize direct tool-to-tool delivery by itself without any degradation of fab throughput, and (2) effective algorithms for lot scheduling/dispatching and variability reduction of tool process rate are required to realize it without such degradation

BACKGROUND: It was reported that pathogenesis of access failure of hemodialysis patients through progressive stenosis was followed by thrombosis. Nonionic contrast media increase platelet degranulation within an angioplasty-damaged vessel by releasing procoagulant molecules, which might contribute to acute thrombosis and restenosis. An adequate level of heparin provides satisfactory thrombin inhibition during routine angioplasty. This study was performed to evaluate the effect of immediate hemodialysis after percutaneous transvenous angioplasty (PTA) to remove nonionic contrast media or other factors while injecting heparin continuously. METHODS: From September 9, 1998 - May 15, 2002, successful PTAs were performed in 66 patients with arteriovenous fistula who were not given any inhibitors of platelet aggregation. Hemodialysis was performed in 31 cases immediately after PTA, and in the remainder, hemodialysis was performed the next day. Patients were randomized and fistula patency rates were compared in these 2 groups on March 20, 2004. RESULTS: The patency rates after PTA in patients who were dialyzed immediately, were significantly higher than those who were dialyzed the next day (p = 0.0120). CONCLUSIONS: Immediate hemodialysis after PTA is an effective way of increasing the patency of arteriovenous fistula for reasons which are not clear. This observation will need to be corroborated in subsequent studies using a larger sample size.

By definition, ultrasound is sound with a frequency greater than 20000 cycles per second; that is, the sound is above the audible range. The principal advantages of high-frequency sound or ultrasound as a medical diagnostic tool are: 1) ultrasound can be directed in a beam, 2) it obeys the laws of reflection and refraction, and 3) it is reflected by objects of small size. The principal disadvantage of ultrasound is that it propagates poorly through a gaseous medium. When discussing any type of sound, one must understand what a cycle, wavelength, velocity, and frequencies are. A sound wave is a series of compressions and rarefactions, and these changes are frequently depicted as a sine wave, with the peak of the hill representing the pressure maximum and the nadir of the valley the pressure minimum. The combination of one compression and one rarefaction represents one cycle, and the distance between the peak compression of one cycle to the next is the wavelength. The velocity represents the speed at which sound waves travel through a particular medium. The frequency is the number of cycles in a given time. Thus, the velocity is equal to the frequency times the wavelength. The velocity at which sound travels through a medium depends on the density and elastic properties of the medium. In other words, sound travels faster through a dense medium than through a less dense substance. Velocity also depends on temperature. The velocity of sound is fairly constant for human soft tissue, approximately 1540 m/s (meters per second).

In this project, technical high school students try to develop tele-control systems such as robot, an electronic fan, small model house and so on over the IPv6 environment. During the project, the students can touch and explore one of the latest technologies. All students looked interested in IPv6. We believe the technical high school students are expected to play important role in the coming ubiquitous stage. Our project demonstrates an example of education to establish ubiquitous world.

Space charge distributions in polyimide films strongly depend upon electric field, temperature, water content and so on. When a low dc field was applied, positive and negative homo space charges were observed near the respective electrodes. When the applied field was higher than 30 MV/m, additional positive and negative hetero space charges were also observed. The amounts of these charges depended upon applied field. The temperature dependence of the amounts of homo space charge showed a thermally-activated process. After drying by the heat treatment, the homo space charges were much reduced at 296 K and at 333 K. This suggests that the charge injections from the electrodes are strongly affected by absorbed water. The hetero space charges were not affected by drying. After short-circuiting, the homo space charges quickly decreased but the hetero space charges were very stable.

In few cases of Turner syndrome the karyotype reveals the presence of an additional Y-bearing cell line, which is referred to as a borderline case of mixed gonadal dysgenesis. We report a 20-year-old woman with primary amenorrhea, virilization and a few Turner stigmata, who revealed rare mosaicism of 45,X/46,X dic (Y; 5)(q12; q11), +5/46,X, der (Y), which was detected by conventional G-banding and multicolor spectral karyotyping. She underwent laparoscopic gonadectomy in which mixed gonadal dysgenesis was found and both gonads were removed. No evidence of gonadoblastoma was noted on the gonads. Virilization improved postoperatively. We recommend gonadectomy via laparoscope in women presenting with Turner-like phenotype, virilization and the presence of a Y chromosome. This report describes the role of cytogenetic and molecular genetic investigations in the definition of mosaicism in Turner syndrome.

High picture quality image compression technique for mobile communication is presented. The exact location information of the important DWT coefficients is generally needed for reconstructing the image. In this work, however, such information is not needed because it can be obtained from the DWT-approximation. Through a one dimensional directional difference operator not only the exact location information of the DWT coefficients but also the rough estimate of the coefficient itself can be obtained from the DWT-approximation when Haar mother wavelet function is utilized. The direction of the difference operator are different each other according to the DWT-details (horizontal, vertical and diagonal detail). This paper shows highly efficient image compression can be achieved when such DWT-approximation information is utilized well.

Effects of Ni dispersions on microstructure and mechanical properties have been studied for Y2O3-stabilized tetragonal zirconia (Y-TZP)/Ni nanocomposites with Ni dispersion up to 10 vol%. Composites were successfully fabricated by reducing and hot-pressing Y-TZP/NiO powder mixtures. Fracture strength was significantly improved from 1.5 GPa for monolithic Y-TZP to 1.9 GPa for nanocomposites with a small addition of Ni (1-2 vol%). Magnetic properties of Y-TZP/Ni nanocomposites were also investigated. Magnetization curves of Y-TZP/Ni nanocomposites showed typical hysteresis loops of soft magnetic materials, whereas coercivity was much larger than that of pure Ni metal. A new function arising from magnetomechanical effects of metallic Ni is also discussed for the present nanocomposites.

Chemical analysis of the actual carbon surface was investigated by surface modification technique using fluorine compound prior to XPS measurements. The number of surface groups was obtained from the ratio of the fluorine and carbon in the XPS spectrum. Hydroxyl group is rich immediately after deposition but carbonyl concentration increases with exposure time. Adsorption of lube depends on the chemical composition of the functional groups. The FTIR spectra of the fluorinated compound film employed reveal the molecular orientation in the film. The weakly interacted lubricant has a random orientation and higher friction, however, friction is low for the strongly adsorbed lubricant to the surface with high orientation. Based on the chemical analysis and film orientation the newly synthesized lubricant has a good friction performance.

A metal capping process for Cu interconnects is developed. Fundamental properties of thin ZrN layers (less than 10 nm) formed by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MO-CVD) are studied. Because ZrN behaves as a metal when deposited on Cu but as an insulator when deposited on a dielectric layer, such films can be easily integrated into the Cu damascene process. Metallic ZrN films on Cu interconnects can improve electromigration lifetimes and their electric properties are stable against later annealing processes. Also, ZrN insulating films deposited on dielectric materials suppress leakage current and the time dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) lifetime.

In the present study, we examined the effect of prostaglandin (PG) E2 on interleukin (IL) -12 production in monocytes stimulated with a combination of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and interferon-gamma (A. actinomycetemcomitans-LPS/IFN-gamma). Indomethacin, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, enhanced IL-12 production, but inhibited PGE2 generation in A. actinomycetemcomitans-LPS/IFN-gamma-stimulated monocytes. Exogenous PGE2 inhibited IL-12 release in the cells. EP2, EP3 and EP4 receptor mRNA expression was detected in monocytes by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. 11-deoxy-PGE1 (an EP2/EP4 agonist) inhibited IL-12 production in A. actinomycetemcomitans-LPS/IFN-gamma-challenged monocytes, whereas butaprost (an EP2 agonist) or ONO-AP-324 (an EP3 agonist) had no effect on IL-12 production. Dibutyryl cAMP, a cAMP analogue, and forskolin, an adenylate cyclase activator, mimicked depression of IL-12 production by PGE2. From these results, we suggest that PGE2 inhibits IL-12 production via EP4 receptors by cAMP-dependent pathways in A. actinomycetemcomitans-LPS/IFN-gamma-challenged monocytes.

Although previous studies have shown that maxillary molar extraction in ovariectomized (OVX) animals causes mandibular loss of bone, it is still questionable as to whether estrogen deficiency affects mandibles with functional occlusion.To answer this question, 13-week-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were bilaterally OVX or sham-operated. After 109 days, the bone mineral density (BMD) of the femurs and mandibles was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT).In DEXA analysis, although the BMD of the total mandible of the OVX rats was similar to that of the sham-operated rats, the BMD of the condylar region in the OVX rats had decreased by 12.5%. In pQCT analysis, decrease in trabecular BMD of the mandibular bone was detectable but low in the molar region (maximal 13%), whereas no difference was seen in cortical BMD. In the femurs, the trabecular bone prominently decreased in OVX rats (30% decrease in pQCT analysis) as previously reported.This study revealed regional differences in the mandibular bone decrease in OVX rats. Although the mechanism of low susceptibility of the mandible to estrogen-deficient conditions remains unknown, it is likely that mechanical stress derived from functional occlusion is preventing bone loss in this pathological condition. Furthermore, this study demonstrated the advantage of pQCT in analyzing rat mandibular bone.