Invited; What can we do with ferroelectric gate?

Thin film transistors (TFTs) are one of the key devices in flat panel displays and oxide channel TFTs are currently employed in such applications. Adding functionality to TFTs is an interesting topic for exploring new applications and ferroelectric materials are promising candidates to add functionality to TFTs. When the ferroelectric material is used as a gate insulator, the device has nonvolatile memory function. In addition, we pointed out that the ferroelectric gate can induce much larger charge density than the conventional paraelectric gate insulator [1]. As a result, conductive oxide such as indium-tin oxide (ITO) can be used as a channel, if the thickness is sufficiently thin. Figure 1 show transfer curve of a ferroelectric-gate TFT using Y-doped Hf-Zr-O (YHZO) as the gate insulator and 13-nm-thick ITO as the channel [2]. Please click Download on the upper right corner to see the full abstract

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Kinase Signal Transduction

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase (CaMKK) is the activating kinase for multiple downstream kinases, including CaM-kinase I (CaMKI), CaM-kinase IV (CaMKIV), protein kinase B (PKB/Akt), and 5'AMP-kinase (AMPK), through the phosphorylation of their activation-loop Thr residues in response to increasing the intracellular Ca2+ concentration, as CaMKK itself is a Ca2+/CaM-dependent enzyme. The CaMKK-mediated kinase cascade plays important roles in a number of Ca2+-dependent pathways, such as neuronal morphogenesis and plasticity, transcriptional activation, autophagy, and metabolic regulation, as well as in pathophysiological pathways, including cancer progression, metabolic syndrome, and mental disorders. This review focuses on the molecular mechanism underlying CaMKK-mediated signal transduction in normal and pathophysiological conditions. We summarize the current knowledge of the structural, functional, and physiological properties of the regulatory kinase, CaMKK, and the development and application of its pharmacological inhibitors

Adaptive Sensing Based on Profiles for Sensor Systems

This paper proposes a profile-based sensing framework for adaptive sensor systems based on models that relate possibly heterogeneous sensor data and profiles generated by the models to detect events. With these concepts, three phases for building the sensor systems are extracted from two examples: a combustion control sensor system for an automobile engine, and a sensor system for home security. The three phases are: modeling, profiling, and managing trade-offs. Designing and building a sensor system involves mapping the signals to a model to achieve a given mission

Climatic factors affecting the tree-ring width of Betula ermanii at the timberline on Mount Norikura, central Japan

The original publication is available at www.springerlink.comArticleECOLOGICAL RESEARCH. 20(4):445-451(2005)journal articl

Le développement de dispositifs techniques de surveillance des espaces publics et la participation des habitants au maintien de l’ordre au Japon

Craignant une baisse de confiance à l’égard des policiers ainsi qu’un affaiblissement des liens sociaux au sein des communautés locales en raison d’une urbanisation croissante du pays, la police japonaise s’est attachée à renforcer localement ses partenariats avec la population, notamment à partir des années 2000. Dans cette perspective, l’État japonais a orienté l’aménagement des espaces publics en s’inspirant de la prévention situationnelle, et a encouragé le développement de différentes technologies de surveillance. Ceci a conduit à la mise en place d’un maillage dense de réseaux de surveillance dans les espaces publics, sous couvert de « lien social » et de « protection » des citoyens, non seulement dans des quartiers commerciaux marqués par une forte fréquentation de clients extérieurs, mais également dans des quartiers résidentiels où les commerces locaux sont souvent fréquentés par des habitants du quartier. Des enquêtes de terrain ainsi que l’étude de documents législatifs produits depuis les années 1970 montrent à cet égard que les actions préventives réalisées par les habitants comportent un aspect d’éducation morale à destination des enfants. Les technologies de surveillance ont ainsi contribué à la légitimation d’une surveillance par les habitants, exerçant une forme de tri social au sein des quartiers.Concerned about a decline in confidence in the police and a weakening of social ties as a result of increasing urbanization, the Japanese police has focused on strengthening their local partnership with the general public, particularly from the 2000s onwards. Inspired by situational crime prevention, the Japanese State has oriented the planning of public spaces in this perspective and encouraged the development of surveillance technologies. This led to the development of surveillance networks in public spaces under the cover of "social bonding" and "protection", not only in commercial districts marked by a high number of visitors, but also in residential areas where local shops are often frequented by local residents. Fieldwork research and the study of legislative documents produced since the 1970s show that the preventive actions conducted by inhabitants also include an aspect of moral education directed at children, particularly in peri-urban areas. Surveillance technologies thus led to the legitimization of surveillance by the inhabitants, exercising a form of screening within the neighborhood

コラーゲン誘発関節炎ラットにおける腰椎変化の組織学的評価

【Background】 To histologically evaluate lumbar involvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by investigating rats with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and to assess the potential effects of RA on the discovertebral joints and facet joints. 【Methods】 Seven-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into groups with CIA and without CIA (control). All rats were sacrificed at 8 weeks after initial sensitization and the lumbar spine (L5/6) was harvested. Then the lumbar spine block specimens were stained with Villaneuva bone stain and sectioned in the midsagittal plane. The left facet joints were also sectioned in the midaxial plane. Specimens were studied under a microscope and infiltration of inflammatory cells was investigated. 【Results】 In the CIA group, lumbar lesions were observed in 13/18 rats (76%). Lymphocytes infiltrated into the anterior rim of the vertebral bodies only in 2 rats, while lymphocytes infiltrated the facet joints only in 4 rats. Both sites were involved in 7 rats. In addition, osteoclasts invaded the anterior rim of the vertebral bodies and formed cavities that also contained lymphocytes. Formation of pannus was seen in the facet joints in 11/18 rats. 【Conclusion】 In CIA rats, infiltration of inflammatory cells into the anterior rim of the vertebral bodies alone or into the facet joints alone was demonstrated in 2 rats and 4 rats, respectively, while both sites were involved in 7 rats. Therefore, lesions at the anterior rim of the vertebral body did not arise secondary to facet joint involvement, but were caused by CIA along with synovial lesions of the facet joints

Stacking-order dependent transport properties of trilayer graphene

We report markedly different transport properties of ABA- and ABC-stacked trilayer graphenes. Our experiments in double-gated trilayer devices provide evidence that a perpendicular electric field opens an energy gap in the ABC trilayer, while it causes the increase of a band overlap in the ABA trilayer. In a perpendicular magnetic field, the ABA trilayer develops quantum Hall plateaus at filling factors of \nu = 2, 4, 6... with a step of \Delta \nu = 2, whereas the inversion symmetric ABC trilayer exhibits plateaus at \nu = 6 and 10 with 4-fold spin and valley degeneracy.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Liquid phase immunoassay utilizing magnetic marker and high Tc superconducting quantum interference device

We have developed a liquid phase immunoassay system utilizing a magnetic marker and a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). In this system, the magnetic marker was used to detect the biological material called antigen. The magnetic marker was designed so as to generate a remanence, and the remanence field of the markers that bound to the antigens was measured with the SQUID. The measurement was performed in a solution that contained both the bound and free (or unbound) markers, i.e., without using the so-called bound/free (BF) separation process. The Brownian rotation of the free markers in the solution was used to distinguish the bound markers from the free ones. Using the system, we conducted the detection of biological material called IgE without BF separation. At present, we could detect the IgE down to 7 pg (or 39 amol