In this paper, we present an electrically driven childlike android named ibuki equipped with a wheeled mobility unit that enables it to move in a real environment. Since the unit includes a vertical oscillation mechanism, the android can replicate the movements of the human center of mass and can express human-like upper-body movements even when moving by wheels. Moreover, providing 46 degrees of freedom enables it to perform various human-like physical expressions. The development of ibuki, as well as the implementation and testing of several functions, is described. Finally, we discuss the potential advantages and future research direction of a childlike mobile android.

The electrochemical catalytic effects of the NiO islands and layer on n-type GaN were investigated. The NiO islands covered some parts of the GaN surface and were seen to improve photoanodic current and prevent photoanodic corrosion. However, the NiO layer was found to worsen the photoanodic current. Hole transportation is thought to occur from the GaN valence band edge to the NiO valence band edge in their surface plane direction due to the band alignment. In addition, the electron capture for water oxidation is expected to be the valence band edge of the NiO instead of the intermediate state.

The Martian regolith is known to contain a maximum of 0.5% (w/v) perchlorate (ClO4−) that is toxic for most living organisms. With such high concentrations of perchlorates on Mars, is there any possibility of life? Here, in order to search and identify potential organisms on Earth, which could survive the perchlorate levels on Mars, we have isolated four perchlorate resistant, halophilic/halotolerant bacterial species from Big Soda Lake (BSL) in Nevada, USA. The 16S ribosomal RNA sequences revealed that these halophiles belong to the genera Bacillus, Alkalibacillus and Halomonas. Growth curves were obtained using a saline medium with different concentrations of magnesium, sodium and/or calcium perchlorate salt to simulate the Martian eutectic brine water. All four species, BSL1-4, grew in high saline media in the presence of perchlorates. This is the first growth experiment using multiple perchlorate salts. BSL3 relative to Halomonas salifodinae showed high maximum growth (Optical Density) comparing with other isolates in the presence of 1% perchlorate salts. Also, BSL1 relative to Bacillus licheniformis survived in the presence of 5% Na-perchlorate, but growth was slower in the absence of Na-perchlorate. The results revealed that these new model microbes are capable of tolerating the hypothesized hypersaline and perchlorate-rich Martian subsurface water environment. Perchlorate-resistant halophile would serve as a new model to understand the biochemistry that may occur on Mars.

Background: A consensus on the brain dysfunction(s) underlying the delusions of Alzheimer's Dementia (AD) remains to be achieved. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that content-based categorization of delusional ideas manifests as dysfunction of category-specific brain regions.

Methods: Fifty-nine consecutive first-visit AD outpatients underwent Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), Mini-Mental State Examination, and Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease Frequency-Weighted Severity scale (BEHAVE-AD-FW) to assess cerebral blood flow (CBF), cognitive function, and delusion, respectively. SPECT images were analyzed by SPM5.

Results: CBF decreased at the temporal poles and right inferior temporal gyrus in “delusion of theft,” at the temporal poles in “suspiciousness/paranoia,” at the right parahippocampal gyrus and insula in “abandonment,” and at the right amygdala in “Residence is not home.”

Conclusions: Our findings offer a perspective on the discrete categories of the pathological thoughts of AD patients that have previously been lumped together as “delusions.” Dysfunction of the temporal poles may be associated with a socioemotional deterioration that may include pathological suspiciousness. Delusion of theft may be a manifestation of socioemotional deterioration and poor insight. Emotional factors may be essential for delusions of abandonment and “not home.”

We synthesized ZnS nanocrystals from identical raw material solution by the thermal decomposition of an amine complex. The shapes of products were changed by simply varying heating rate. At higher heating rate, we obtained the isotropic zincblende nanocrystals. At the lower heating rate, the nanorods were formed and the length was increased with the decrease of heating rate. The nanorods had wurtzite structure below 175 °C, and consequently transformed to zincblende phase during a temperature rise to 200 °C. These particle shapes and phases were related to the adsorption properties of amine ligands. Additionally, the synthesized ZnS nanodots and nanorods exhibited predominantly band-edge emission in fluorescence spectra.

We show a drastically improved gas–solid reaction between NH3 and LiH by mechanical treatment for LiH, generating a hydrogen gas even at room temperature. The results of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the mechanical pretreatment was effective in reducing a hydroxide phase from the surface of LiH. It was also possible to successfully recycle back LiNH2, which is the byproduct of this hydrogen desorption reaction, to LiH under 0.5-MPa H2 flow at 573 K. Thus, the LiH–NH3 system provides a recyclable H2 storage system to generate H2 at room temperature with 8.1 mass% and 4.5 kg/100 L hydrogen capacity.

We have theoretically evaluated the phase stability and electronic structure of Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) and Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS). The enthalpies of formation for kesterite, stannite and wurtz-stannite phases of CZTSe and CZTS were calculated using a plane-wave pseudopotential method within the density functional formalism. For CZTSe, the calculated formation enthalpy (ΔH) of the kesterite phase (−312.7 kJ/mol) is a little smaller than that of the stannite phase (−311.3 kJ/mol) and much smaller than that of the wurtz-stannite phase (−305.7 kJ/mol). For CZTS, the ΔH of the kesterite phase (−361.9 kJ/mol) is smaller than that of the stannite phase (−359.9 kJ/mol) and much smaller than that of the wurtz-stannite phase (−354.6 kJ/mol). The difference of ΔH between the kesterite and stannite phases for CZTS is greater than that for CZTSe. This indicates the kesterite phase is more stable than the stannite phase in CZTS compared with CZTSe. The valence band maximums (VBMs) of both the kesterite- and stannite-type CZTSe(CZTS) are antibonding orbitals of Cu 3d and Se 4p (S 3p). The conduction band minimums (CBMs) are antibonding orbitals of Sn 5s and Se 4p (S 3p). The Zn atom does not affect the VBM or the CBM in either CZTSe(CZTS). The theoretical band gap of the kesterite phase calculated with sX-LDA in both CZTSe and CZTS is a little wider than that of the wurtz-stannite phase and much wider than that of the stannite phase.

Double ion implanted 4H-SiC bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) are fabricated by Al and N ion implantation to the base and emitter. The current gain of 3 is obtained at the base Al concentration of 1 × ∼ 1017 /cm3. The collector current as a function of the base Gummel number suggests that double ion implanted 4H-SiC BJT operates in the intrinsic region below the emitter in the low injection level. The high base resistance restricts the base current at VBE as low as 3 V.

We have carried out multi-epoch VLBI observations of the H2O maser sources associated with young stellar objects (YSOs) in nearby molecular clouds with VERA (VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry), which is a newly constructed VLBI network in Japan (Kobayashi et al. 2003). The main goal of our study is to measure the absolute proper motions and distances to nearby molecular clouds within 1 kpc from the Sun, to reveal their 3-dimensional structures and dynamical properties. Using the VERA dual-beam receiving system (Honma et al. 2003), we have carried out phase-referencing VLBI observations and measured annual parallaxes and absolute proper motions of the H2O maser features with respect to the extragalactic radio sources. We have successfully detected the annual parallax of one of the H2O maser features in Orion KL to be 2.29±0.10 mas, corresponding to the distance of 437±19 pc from the Sun (Hirota et al. 2007). In addition, the annual parallax of SVS13 in NGC 1333 is also determined to be4.10±0.17 mas, corresponding to the distance of 244±10 pc from the Sun, although the life time of the maser features are only 6 months. The absolute proper motions of the H2O maser features associated with Orion KL and NGC 1333 are derived, possibly indicating the outflow motions from the YSOs as well as the systemic motions of the powering sources.

We observed a preformed plasma of an aluminum slab target produced by a high-intensity Ti:sapphire laser. The expansion length of the preformed plasma at the electron density of 3 × 1018 cm−3, which was the detection limit, was around 100 μm measured with a laser interferometer. In order to characterize quantitatively and to control the preformed plasmas, we perform a two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulation. The expansion length of the preformed plasma was almost the same as the experimental result, if we assumed that the amplified spontaneous emission lasted 3.5 ns before the main pulse arrived.

The present study was conducted to examine the effects of three polyphenols (tannic acid, apigenin and quercetin) on hyaluronidase activity and in vitro fertilization (IVF) parameters. Among them, tannic acid showed by far the strongest potency for blocking hyaluronidase activity extracted from preincubated boar sperm, causing a dose-dependent inhibition over the range of 2–10 μg/ml. When cumulus-intact and cumulus-free oocytes were inseminated in IVF medium containing tannic acid, the penetration and the polyspermy rates were significantly decreased in the presence of 10 μg/ml tannic acid compared with those in the absence of tannic acid, and the addition of 5 μg/ml tannic acid significantly reduced the polyspermy rate (p < 0.05) compared with that of the control while maintaining the high penetration rate. However, apigenin and quercetin had no effect on the rate of polyspermy. Interestingly, the incidence of polyspermy was significantly reduced in oocytes inseminated with sperm pretreated with 5 μg/ml tannic acid (p < 0.05), although the pretreatment of oocytes had no effect against the polyspermy after insemination with untreated sperm. Treatment with tannic acid caused neither a protective proteolytic modification of the zona pellucida matrix before fertilization, nor a reduction of the proteolytic activity of acrosomal contents or the number of zona-bound spermatozoa. These data suggest that an appropriate concentration of tannic acid prevents polyspermy through the inhibition of sperm hyaluronidase activity during IVF of porcine oocytes.

A CoFe2O4 particle/organic hybrid was synthesized using in situ processing of metalorganics of cobalt and iron below 100 °C. A mixture of cobalt (II) acetylacetonate (CA) and iron (III) 3-allylacetylacetonate (IAA) was hydrolyzed and polymerized yielding cobalt ferrite particle/organic hybrid. The crystallinity of cobalt ferrite depended upon the hydrolysis conditions of cobalt acetylacetonate-iron 3-allylacetylacetonate (CA-IAA). Nanocrystalline cobalt ferrite particles were uniformly dispersed in the organic matrix. The saturation magnetization of hybrid increased with increasing crystallinity of cobalt ferrite particles in the organic matrix. The hybrid showed a magnetization-applied field (BH) curve with no coercive force at room temperature. The magnetization versus H/T curves from 150 to 300 K were superimposed on the same curve and satisfied the Langevin equation. The hybrid revealed a saturation magnetization of 33.7 emu/g and a coercivity of 11 kOe at 4.2 K.

High-energy protons are generated by focusing an ultrashort pulsed high intensity laser at the Advanced Photon Research Center, JAERI-Kansai onto thin (thickness <10 μm) Tantalum targets. The laser intensities are about 4 × 1018 W/cm2. The prepulse level of the laser pulse is measured with combination of a PIN photo diode and a cross correlator and is less than 10−6. A quarter-wave plate is installed into the laser beam line to create circularly polarized pulses. Collimated high energy protons are observed with CH coated Tantalum targets irradiated with the circularly polarized laser pulses. The beam divergence of the generated proton beam is measured with a CR-39 track detector and is about 6 mrad.

A NiFe2O4 particle/organic hybrid was synthesized in situ from iron-organic and nickel organic compounds below 100 °C. A mixture of nickel (II) acetylacetonate (NA) and iron (III) 3-allylacetylacetonate (IAA) was hydrolyzed and polymerized yielding spinel oxide particle/oligomer hybrid. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the crystallinity of spinel particles was dependent upon the hydrolysis conditions of NA-IAA. Nanocrystalline nickel ferrite particles around 10 nm were uniformly dispersed in the organic matrix. The formation of nickel ferrite was confirmed by energy-dispersive x-ray and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The saturation magnetization of hybrid increased with increasing water amount for hydrolysis. Nano-sized nickel ferrite particle/organic hybrid showed a BH curve with no remanence above 75 K. The magnetization versus H/T curves at 300, 200, and 75 K were superimposed on the same curve and satisfied the Langevin equation. The remanent magnetization and coercive field of the hybrid were 7.4 emu/g and 460 Oe, respectively, at 5 K.

Congenital achromatopsia is a stationary retinal disorder with autosomal recessive inheritance. It is characterized by significant attenuation of cone-photoreceptor function. Symptoms include photophobia, nystagmus, and poor visual acuity from birth. Unlike in cone or cone–rod dystrophies, the retinal fundus usually appears normal. Here we describe two siblings with congenital achromatopsia, who exhibit different ophthalmic phenotypes. History was taken, and ophthalmic examinations were performed in a 7-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother, who were referred to our department because of poor visual acuity. Two of their grandparents were brother and sister, suggesting an autosomal recessive transmission in inheritance. They have been followed for more than 13 years since the initial evaluation. Symptoms, visual acuity, and kinetic visual field were very similar to each other, consistent with findings of typical congenital achromatopsia. However, color-vision tests suggested that the brother had residual color discrimination, but the sister did not. The siblings had different full-field electroretinographic and spectral-sensitivity findings: residual cone functions were detected in only the brother, in agreement with his residual color vision. They also had different findings of retinal fundi and ocular refractions: the sister had bilaterally atrophic-appearing macular lesions and myopic errors. In contrast, the brother remains hyperopia and has exhibited no specific retinal findings until age 18 years. The causes why both complete and incomplete achromats occur in the siblings are uncertain but might be caused by modifying effects of sex-related genes or by environmental factors influencing certain gene regulations in cone photoreceptors.

The reasons why the open circuit voltage (Voc) of high-x CuIn1-xGaxSe2 (CIGS)/ZnO solar cells remain low are discussed. Here it is shown that the Voc ceiling can be interpreted simply on the basis of a model that the valence-band energy (Ev) of CIGS is almost immovable irrespective of x. When the conduction-band energy (Ec) of ZnO is lower than that of high-x CIGS (DEc<0), the built-in potential (Vbi) of a CIGS/ZnO junction is equivalent to the flat-band potential (Vbi) that arises from the separation between the Fermi energies of the two materials. If the Ev (and therefore the Fermi energy) of p-type CIGS is constant with increasing x, the Vbi and Voc that follows the Vbi remain unchanged since the Fermi energy of ZnO is constant. This unchangeable Voc reduces the conversion efficiency of high-x CIGS cells in cooperation with reduced photocurrents due to a larger bandgap. A positive offset, ΔEc>o gives rise to a photoelectrons barrier in the conduction-band that partially cancels Voc, thus the Voc of a low-x CIGS cell is governed by the Ec of CIGS. Based upon this concept, a material selection guideline is given for the windows and transparent electrodes appropriate for high-x CIGS absorbers-based solar cells.

Using EBIC and EDX measurements, CIGS solar cells prepared under several different conditions were observed and characterized. The results of EBIC and EDX measurements suggest that Cd plays an important role in the forming of a buried pn-junction in the CIGS layer via diffusion, and de-emphasize the possibility of the formation of the hetero pn-junction at the CdS/CIGS heterointerface. The correlation of the extent of the space charge region and the observed shift in the pn-junction location with the diffusion of the constituent elements in CIGS was investigated.

We have fabricated CIGS:Fe polycrystalline thin films using a standard three-stage method, and investigated the effects of Fe doping on cell performances. The Ga / (In+Ga) ratio was varied between 0.3 ˜ 1.0 (= CGS), and the Fe concentration was varied between 0.0 ˜ 1.2 mol%. The films were characterized by various means, including the cell performance. Increment of the grain size with higher Fe content was observed. Redshift with higher Fe content was observed in the absorbance spectra. The spectral response of the fabricated solar cells deteriorated with higher Fe content, from the long wavelength side.