We assessed human exposure to radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields used for a wireless communication system installed on a smart meter for communication in the 920 MHz band. In an exposure guideline, the specific absorption rate (SAR) is used as a measure of the thermal effects of human exposure to electromagnetic fields. Although the low‐power wireless communication device used for the smart

The use of microwells sealed with lipid bilayers is promising for biodevices that utilize protein functions. We have fabricated microwell structures on a Si substrate sealed with lipid bilayers. We have investigated Ca2+ ion transport through α‐hemolysin channels with fluorescent microscopy. However, problems remain as regards achieving the detection of smaller signal such as receptor channels. Ion

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) is known to show responsiveness to the physical properties, such as stiffness and nano to microstructures, of the extracellular environment. However, the signaling mechanism has not been fully elucidated yet. Here, the effects of nanoscale pillar arrays of the cell culture substrate on morphology and differentiation were evaluated in human MSC to understand the signaling

In this paper, we report on the development of a microfluidic device, which extracts plasma from low‐volume whole blood (10 μL), and is aimed at integration with microfluidic system for micro analytical systems. The device autonomously separates blood cells and transfers the separated plasma by steady rotation. Based on the original autonomous fluidic control theory, we developed the principle of automatic

Supported lipid bilayer (SLB) is one artificial biomembrane system used to study transportation reactions through biomembranes using solid devices and surface scientific methods. A key step in the SLB formation is the transformation of spherical lipid vesicles to a planar membrane. We investigated stimulation methods for adsorbed lipid vesicles on a streptavidin‐modified SiO2/Si substrate to induce

We report an improvement of the Plasma‐on‐Chip device that enables plasma irradiation to single cells. Dielectric barrier discharge structure was introduced and power consumption was reduced to 200 µW. The modification extended the operation time of the Plasma‐on‐Chip device. As long as 10 min plasma irradiation to yeast cells, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was conducted.

We demonstrated the on‐chip synthesis of Au nanoparticles achieved by a microwave‐induced reaction in a microfluidic channel. The chip structure consists of a waveguide and a microchannel through the inside of the waveguide. A postwall waveguide, in which metallic posts are continuously arranged on the side wall, is utilized to confine microwave fields. This configuration allows a solution to be inserted

To realize an uniformization of wiring thickness on a large size silicon probe, a design of wiring to supply current and electroplating conditions were analytically and experimentally evaluated. Circuit simulations adopted with nonlinear resistance elements clarified the distribution of current density on silicon probes. The voltage drop of current supply wiring on the silicon probe was necessary to

Whistling has become more popular in recent years. “Whistling competitions” are being held in Japan since 2005. However, it can be difficult to teach some people how to whistle. One of the reasons is that theoretical information, including clear descriptions about how to whistle is scant. A better understanding of the principle would be beneficial to both the trainer and the trainee. In this study

The sound of the tube amp due to the harmonic distortion has been thought to depend not only on the vacuum tube type but also on the vacuum tube manufacturer and individual differences. However, quantitative differences in tube characteristics of the manufacturer have yet to be revealed. In this study, the characteristics of the triode 12 AX 7 of the five major manufacturers were analyzed based on

In recent years, a magnetocardiography (MCG) with superconducting quantum interference device with noise level of 50 fT/√ Hz is used for arrhythmia diagnosis. The MCG is usually installed in a multilayered magnetically shielded room (MSR). In the MCG close to some magnetic noise sources like direct current (dc)‐electrified railway, the MCG can stably measure the magnetic field by increasing the number

There is a growing need to use photovoltaic (PV) technology to mitigate global warming and the depletion of fossil fuels. However, the high network penetration of PVs potentially lessen the stability and the reliability of electrical power systems in various ways. Under its high network penetration, monitoring of the unmeasurable power outputs of PVs is needed for the proper operations of an electrical

Systems engineering (SE) and model‐based development (MBD) attract attention from manufacturers to produce more complex products with less rework in order to satisfy higher demands. However, concrete methodology is not defined well. This paper proposes a methodology of target assignment with respect to a special functional cascading for integrated atchitectural products. This paper also proposes “abstracted

Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) conductive polymer and polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) piezoelectric polymer thin films were formed by dip‐coating method. The relationship between drawing speed and film thickness was experimentally investigated. Dip‐coated PEDOT and PVDF thin films were characterized and confirmed that both had surely worked as electrode and piezoelectric film of a flexible

This study proposes improved parallel reactive hybrid particle swarm optimization (IPRHPSO) using an improved neighborhood schedule generation method for the integrated framework of optimal production scheduling and operational planning of an energy plant in a factory. Conventionally, in an energy plant, fixed loads of various tertiary energies have been utilized to solve the optimal operational planning

Cancer treatment by ultrashort pulse high electric field is one of new biological applications. This work focuses on difference of effects caused at applying the pulse to different types of cells for realizing cancer treatment via ultrashort pulse electric field. In this study, by employing HeLa S3 of a cancer cell and budding yeast of a eukaryotic cell as samples, difference of effects given to each

In recent years, a production of nanoparticles has been required in many fields such as production process for electronic materials, foods, and medicine. By using recrystallization process, nanoparticles can be formed by quenching a solution. We have generated monodisperse droplets by using an ultrasonic torsional transducer and a micropore plate to form fine nanoparticles by quenching droplets. In

In AC/DC converter transformers under DC application, the electric field distributions are distorted due to the accumulated charge on pressboard. However, the time‐dependent characteristics of DC electric field stress in oil has not yet been clarified in detail. In this paper, we investigated the time and electric field space transition characteristics of DC electric field distributions in oil‐pressboard

This paper presents input bias current (Ibias ) reduction technique for high impedance CMOS op‐amps with the proposed current compensation circuit to deal with the leakage current caused by Electro‐Static Discharge (ESD) protection circuit of the IC. High input impedance CMOS op‐amps are widely used for the application of high precision sensors with quite small input current. However, the leakage current

Holographic memory is a strong candidate for next‐generation optical storage with high recording densities and data transfer rates, and magnetic hologram memory using a magnetic garnet, as the recording material, is expected to be used as a rewritable and stable storage technology. We succeeded in recording and reconstruction of two‐dimensional data in magnetic hologram without error. However, the

Although internet of things technology is widely used in various fields, internet of things has several issues such as energy efficiency and authentication for security. The energy harvesting technology, which harvests various energy (eg, sunlight, vibration, electromagnetic wave, and so on), and converts them to electric power, has attracted attention for the solving method for the first problem.

Lightweight block ciphers, which can be implemented with low cost, are suitable for improving the safety of small devices. PRINCE is a typical lightweight block cipher and suitable for unrolled architecture implementation. In addition, PRINCE can be achieved low latency and embedded in a small area. However, it has been reported that PRINCE with unrolled architecture implementation is vulnerable to

When a magnetic levitation rail carrying a superconducting coil moves at high speed, an electromagnetic induction voltage is generated in the surrounding telecommunication line due to Faraday's electromagnetic induction. This phenomenon is analyzed by AC/DC module of COMSOL multiphysics. The telecommunication line is modeled for a common mode flowing in a loop between the telecommunication line and

I have observed sea clutter containing a target (ship) using an X‐band radar with a frequency of 9.41 GHz, a beamwidth of 1.0°, a pulsewidth of 0.5 μs, and a pulse‐repetition frequency of 1600 Hz. To investigate the sea clutter amplitude statistics, I introduce the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). I have found that the sea clutter amplitudes obey the Weibull distribution with the shape parameter

International Commission on Non‐Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines describes addition equation for electrical stimulation, relevant for frequencies up to 10 MHz, with respect to simultaneous exposure to magnetic fields with multiple frequencies. However, there is no literature which estimated the threshold of electromagnetic field exposure of multiple frequencies. Therefore, the purpose

We show the structure and matching theory of MUT‐type acoustic matching device. A simulation model of the finite element method was constructed and the following evaluations were made: (1) analysis of the stress distribution inside the proposed device in order to find the mechanism of ultrasound propagation, (2) comparison of the performance as an acoustic matching device with the conventional matching

We have developed a new ink technology that is able to detect individual deviations of manufactured products such as biologics, foods, and beverages in the temperature control under distribution by changes in the ink color. With the combined use of this ink and Internet of things technologies, we will create a consistent quality control system for logistics service from production to consumption.

Distributed optical fiber sensor based on a peak‐frequency change of a spectrum of Brillouin scattering light has been extensively studied since it can measure strain and/or temperature in various applications. The distributed optical fiber sensor observes the spectrum of backscattered light from the specified section according to a spatial resolution and determines strain and/or temperature based

Protection of human from exposures to electric and magnetic fields has received public concerns for decades. Methods to assess physical quantities related to the exposure, such as artificially generated electric and magnetic fields, electric fields inside human body caused by the exposures, and contact currents, have been investigated and established in relation to compliance assessment against exposure

We investigated a fabrication technique of c‐plane‐oriented hydroxyapatite (HA) crystalline film on low‐cost amorphous SiO2 substrates to apply the orientation‐controlled HA crystal to disposal biochips. An experiment was conducted by the pulsed laser deposition method. We showed that a high‐quality HA crystalline film was grown using a fluorapatite (FA) buffer layer, which was self‐oriented on amorphous

In this study, we developed a detachable self‐heated‐stage suitable for high‐speed processing of titanium by thermally assisted reactive ion etching (TRIE). The detachable self‐heated stage was designed based on simulation results. The temperature of the stage increases rapidly within 10 minutes with low radio frequency (RF) power, because of the low thermal capacitance. The etch rates of titanium

Optical flow estimation from an in‐vehicle camera is an important task in automatic driving and advanced driver‐assistance systems. However, there is a problem that optical flow estimation is mistakable with high contrast and high speed. Event camera can overcome these situations because it reports only the per‐pixel intensity change with high dynamic range and low latency. However, the L1 smoothness

A minimally invasive electrical recording and stimulating technique capable of simultaneously monitoring the activity of a significant number (e.g., 10(3) to 10(4)) of neurons is an absolute prerequisite in developing an effective brain-machine interface. Although there are many excellent methodologies for recording single or multiple neurons, there has been no methodology for accessing large numbers