The importance of nano-machining processes is continually increasing in a wide range of industries. In particular, the demands for machining with stable nanometer order accuracy in a wide work area ...have recently increased in the electronics and automotive industries. In order to meet such industrial requirements, it is necessary to develop an ultraprecision machine tool based on a new design concept. Therefore, in this study, a novel linear motor-driven aerostatic planar motion table system was developed for nano-machining. The results of actual machining tests confirmed that the developed table system has a remarkable performance.
The control of magnetism with an electric field is a challenging area with the potential to affect fields related to magnetic data storage, sensors and magnetic random access memory. Although there ...are some successful examples of such control based on the use of magnetic metals and semiconductors, energy loss caused by current flow is a problem that needs to be addressed. In particular, the repeatable control of magnetization with an electric field can be disturbed by joule heat loss. In this regard, non-centrosymmetric insulating magnets are good candidates for controlling magnetization without energy loss, in which the linear magnetoelectric effect has an essential role. Moreover, such magnets exhibit an unconventional magneto-optical effect, which allows the time-resolved detection of the magnetization direction. Here, we show a periodic oscillation of the magnetization direction by c20(compfn) in a non-centrosymmetric soft magnet (Cu,Ni)B(2)O(4), which is induced by an a.c. electric field of 2kHz. The present study provides a strategy for identifying materials in which the magnetization direction can be modulated at high speed with an electric field.
A catheter sensor system composed of a tube flow sensor with a medical basket forceps and an optical fiberscope was systemized for in-situ measurements in the airway in the lung system. The tube flow ...sensor was produced by assembling the sensor film containing two heaters onto the tube surface, and the basket forceps was installed into the inside space of the tube sensor. The assembled tube flow sensor with the basket forceps was inserted into the tube and was fixed at the center of the tube by expanding the basket. The flow detection characteristics of the tube flow sensor were experimentally evaluated. A calibration equation based on King’s law was derived from the sensor output vs. flow velocity curve, and a sufficiently short response time of 60 ms was obtained for the breathing measurements in a rabbit and a person. Finally, the tube flow sensor with the basket forceps and the optical fiberscope was systemized into a single tube with the diameter of 5.0 mm for in-situ measurements in the airway. The developed system successfully detected both a breathing airflow waveform and an optical image inside the airway in the rabbit.
Bromoiodomethane, CH2BrI, is a molecule of natural origin emitted in significant amount into the marine boundary layer. It can easily be decomposed by solar radiation, releasing Br and I atoms in the ...troposphere, which in turn impacts the atmospheric chemistry. Spectroscopy is an invaluable tool to monitor species present in the atmosphere. Since no high-resolution spectroscopic studies are available for this dihalomethane, we have investigated the rotational spectra of the two bromine isotopologues of CH2BrI in its vibrational ground state in the microwave and millimeter-wave regions. Transitions of b-type have been recorded by Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy below 25 GHz while both a- and b-type spectral lines have been measured below 230 GHz. Observed transitions correspond to energy levels with J ≤ 132 and K a ≤ 14. Molecular constants including those describing the nuclear quadrupole coupling tensors for 79Br, 81Br, and 127I were accurately determined from the least-squares analysis of a total of 1873 distinct transition frequencies (of which 943 belong to the CH2 79BrI isotopologue). An experimental (r 0) structure of the title species has been derived from the two sets of rotational constants.
Mucus production is a cardinal feature of bronchial asthma, contributing to morbidity and mortality in the disease. Goblet cells are major mucus-producing cells, and goblet cell hyperplasia (GCH) is ...one feature of airway remodeling, defined as structural changes occurring in the airway. A number of studies have demonstrated that Th2-type cells play critical roles in this process and that particularly interleukin-13 (IL-13), among Th2-type cytokines, is a central mediator for GCH. However, the mechanism underlying how Th2 cytokines induce mucus production or GCH is poorly understood. Mouse calcium-activated chloride channel-3 (mCLCA-3; gob-5)/human CLCA-1 acts as a downstream molecule of Th2 cytokines, IL-4/IL-9/IL-13 signals, playing an important role in mucus production. Moreover, we have recently found that pendrin, an anion transporter, is induced by IL-13 and causes mucus production in airway epithelial cells. It is hoped that if we can clarify how mucus is produced, this will lead to development of novel therapeutic reagents to suppress mucus production in bronchial asthma.
