Elemental Technologies Research Articles

Exploration cycle finding a better dining experience: a framework of meal-plates

This study aimed to help people select an appropriate plate to enhance the quality of their dining experiences. Meals are not only a means of nutritional intake but also one of the “experiential contents” that enrich our daily lives. The attractiveness of a meal as an experience derives not only from the taste of the food, but also from its appearance, which includes the novelty of the ingredients and cooking methods, as well as presentation methods such as serving and coloring. The appearance of a dish is significantly influenced by its appearance and the plates on which it is served. Focusing on the point that “the plates enhance the attractiveness of the meal,” we attempted to develop plate recommendation methods to improve the quality of the dining experience. The selection of serving plates should consider the compatibility of the plates and the consistency of the plate with the other plates served together. Although qualitative criteria exist for these factors, no unique correct solution exists, which renders plate selection difficult. Enabling computers to understand and process these criteria will provide support for plate selection in line with human cognition. We assumed that two elements were necessary to support plate selection to improve the quality of the dining experience (QoD): “understanding the characteristics of each meal and plate, as well as the appropriate combination of both” and “reflecting user preferences.“ Thus, this study proposes the “meals—plates cycle” as a framework that satisfies the aforementioned two elements. This paper presents the design guidelines for the framework, data construction based on the guidelines, and the development of elemental technologies.

Sample preparation for structural mass spectrometry via polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique that can detect protein molecules with high sensitivity. Its use is not limited to the mere identification of protein components in biological samples, but is recently being utilized for large-scale analysis of protein structures in vivo as well. Top-down mass spectrometry with an ultra-high resolution mass spectrometer, for example, ionizes proteins in their intact state and allows rapid analysis of their chemical structure, which is used to determine proteoform profiles. Furthermore, cross-linking mass spectrometry, which analyzes enzyme-digested fragments of chemically cross-linked protein complexes, allows acquisition of conformational information on protein complexes in multimolecular crowding environments. In the analysis workflow of structural mass spectrometry, prior fractionation of crude biological samples is an effective way to obtain more detailed structural information. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), known as a simple and reproducible means of protein separation in biochemistry, is one example of an excellent high-resolution sample prefractionation tool for structural mass spectrometry. This chapter describes elemental technologies for PAGE-based sample prefractionation including Passively Eluting Proteins from Polyacrylamide gels as Intact species for Mass Spectrometry (PEPPI-MS), a highly efficient method for intact in-gel protein recovery, and Anion-Exchange disk-assisted Sequential sample Preparation (AnExSP), a rapid enzymatic digestion method using a solid-phase extraction microspin column for gel-recovered proteins, in addition to presenting detailed experimental protocols and examples of their use for structural mass spectrometry.

Enamels analysis of Doucai porcelain with Chenghua mark by non‐destructive micro‐EDXRF

AbstractThe Chenghua Doucai of the Ming Dynasty represents the highest level of craftsmanship among enamelled porcelain, and it remained popular throughout the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Consequently, Doucai porcelain with a pseudo‐Chenghua mark was produced almost continuously after the Chenghua reign. In this article, non‐destructive energy dispersive micro x‐ray fluorescence (micro‐XRF) is used to analyse Doucai wares with Chenghua mark from the Ming and Qing Dynasties and modern period. Using micro‐XRF mapping technology, the different elemental maps in the blue, green, red, yellow enamels demonstrate that the Doucai is fired with a various colouring materials. The blue is coloured by cobalt, the green is coloured by copper, and the red and yellow are coloured by a lot of iron and a few of iron, and lead in all enamels except for the underglaze blue with different contents. Even though the primary enamels of Doucai wares with the Chenghua mark are similar, the wares made in the Qing Dynasty display more types of enamels than Chenghua reign's. For instance, there are two types of red enamels; the darker red enamel contains manganese (Mn) in addition to iron (Fe), and the modern yellow enamels of Doucai contain titanium (Ti) in addition to iron (Fe). This study compared the changes of colouring materials for Doucai of different times and demonstrated that the micro‐XRF elemental mapping technology is a valuable tool to reveal the compositional characteristics and ware production procedures.

Efficient removal of aqueous Cr(VI) with ferrous sulfide/N-doped biochar composites: Facile, in-situ preparation and Cr(VI) uptake performance and mechanism.

FeS nanoparticles loaded on nitrogen-doped biochar (FeS/BNC) were fabricated by pyrolyzing coffee husks pretreated with Mohr's salt. The nitrogen doping and FeS loading of biochar are simultaneously achieved in one-pot pyrolysis. The elemental analysis, SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, Raman, FTIR and N2 adsorption-desorption technologies were used to characterize the composition and structure of FeS/NBC. The appraisement for removing aqueous Cr(VI) testified that FeS/NBC offered a synergistic scavenging effect of Cr(VI) by FeS and NBC. The effect of crucial experimental conditions (FeS/NBC dosage, foreign ions, initial pH and concentration of Cr(VI) solution) were investigated. The Cr(VI) removal capacity was as high as 211.3 ± 26 mg g-1 under the optimized condition. The practicability of FeS/NBC was examined by using simulated actual samples from tap water and lake water. The mechanism examination showed that surface adsorption/reduction and solution reduction were implicated in the removal of Cr(VI). The current work introduces a novel FeS/NBC composite prepared by an in situ pyrolysis method with excellent potential for chromium pollution remediation.

Reappraisal of telesurgery in the era of high-speed, high-bandwidth, secure communications: Evaluation of surgical performance in local and remote environments.

Communication and video transmission delays negatively affect telerobotic surgery. Since latency varies by communication environment and robot, to realize remote surgery, both must perform well. This study aims to examine the feasibility of telerobotic surgery by validating the communication environment and local/remote robot operation, using secure commercial lines and newly developed robots. Hirosaki University and Mutsu General Hospital, 150 km apart, were connected via a Medicaroid surgical robot. Ten surgeons performed a simple task remotely using information encoding and decoding. The required bandwidth, delay time, task completion time, number of errors, and image quality were evaluated. Next, 11 surgeons performed a complex task using gallbladder and intestinal models in local/remote environments; round trip time (RTT), packet loss, time to completion, operator fatigue, operability, and image were observed locally and remotely. Image quality was not so degraded as to affect remote robot operation. Median RTT was 4msec (2-12), and added delay was 29 msec. There was no significant difference in accuracy or number of errors for cholecystectomy, intestinal suturing, completion time, surgeon fatigue, or image evaluation. The fact that remote surgery succeeded equally to local surgery showed that this system has the necessary elemental technology for widespread social implementation.

Special Issue “Research and Development of Elemental Technologies toward Beyond 5G”

Special Issue “Research and Development of Elemental Technologies toward Beyond 5G”

Rapid DNA Sequencing Technology Based on the Sanger Method for Bacterial Identification.

Antimicrobial resistance, a global health concern, has been increasing due to inappropriate use of antibacterial agents. To facilitate early treatment of sepsis, rapid bacterial identification is imperative to determine appropriate antibacterial agent for better therapeutic outcomes. In this study, we developed a rapid PCR method, rapid cycle sequencing, and microchip electrophoresis, which are the three elemental technologies for DNA sequencing based on the Sanger sequencing method, for bacterial identification. We achieved PCR amplification within 13 min and cycle sequencing within 14 min using a rapid thermal cycle system applying microfluidic technology. Furthermore, DNA analysis was completed in 14 min by constructing an algorithm for analyzing and performing microchip electrophoresis. Thus, the three elemental Sanger-based DNA sequencing steps were accomplished within 41 min. Development of a rapid purification process subsequent to PCR and cycle sequence using a microchip would help realize the identification of causative bacterial agents within one hour, and facilitate early treatment of sepsis.

自動変速機設計を通した産学連携による基礎と実践の教育プログラム

In this program, engineers from the company give instruction to graduate students to carry out product design. The students have to follow the design processes, which are exactly operated in the company. The processes are like setting goal, creating design, drawing using CAD (Computer Aided Design), evaluation use of CAE (Computer Aided Engineering), creating prototype by 3D printer and final experimental evaluation. The students can apply the elemental and essential technology or theory that they have learned in their undergraduate programs to practical design process. The students from various background, fluid dynamics major, material mechanics major, etc. work together to achieve goal helping each other. This is quite unique and practical education program never seen before. In this paper, as one of the major curriculum provided by Aisin, how to educate graduate students through designing stator blade of torque converter inside automatic transmission is shown.

Part 3: Design and Implementation of Elemental Technologies to Support Functionality of The Beyond Book

Part 3: Design and Implementation of Elemental Technologies to Support Functionality of The Beyond Book

Development and evaluation of elemental technology for contactless waste collection system

Development and evaluation of elemental technology for contactless waste collection system

Elemental Technologies for Supporting the Integration of Real Space and Cyberspace

Elemental Technologies for Supporting the Integration of Real Space and Cyberspace

Human gaze-aware attentive object detection for ambient intelligence

Understanding human behavior and the surrounding environment is essential for realizing ambient intelligence (AmI), for which eye gaze and object information are reliable cues. In this study, the authors propose a novel human gaze-aware attentive object detection framework as an elemental technology for AmI. The proposed framework detects users’ attentive objects and shows more precise and robust performance against object-scale variations. A novel Adaptive-3D-Region-of-Interest (Ada-3D-RoI) scheme is designed as a front-end module, and scalable detection network structures are proposed to maximize cost-efficiency. The experiments show that the detection rate is improved up to 97.6% on small objects (14.1% on average), and it is selectively tunable with a tradeoff between accuracy and computational complexity. In addition, the qualitative results demonstrate that the proposed framework detects a user’s single object-of-interest only, even when the target object is occluded or extremely small. Complementary matters for follow-up study are presented as suggestions to extend the results of the proposed framework to further practical AmI applications. This study will help develop advanced AmI applications that demand a higher-level understanding of scene context and human behavior such as human–robot symbiosis, remote-/autonomous control, and augmented/mixed reality.

Impact of Automated Driving Technology on Japanese Automobile Insurance Market

Purpose: This study attempts to predict the scale of the Japanese automobile insurance market. The forecast is based on the understanding of safety technologies and historic market trends. Research design, data, and methodology: Automobile insurance, together with compulsory automobile liability insurance (CALI), holds more than 50% of the total premium in the Japanese non-life insurance industry. If automated driving prevails, automobile accidents would likely decrease rapidly. Even if fully automated driving does not occur in the near future, some of its elemental technologies, especially collision damage mitigation braking, will significantly reduce the incidence of automobile accidents, and thus the market for automobile insurance. Moreover, as the country’s population decreases, the number of automobiles owned and licenses issued will reduce. We made 20-year predictions of the automobile insurance market in Japan. The calculation is based on demographic data, penetration of safety devices, and their accident prevention effects on bodily injury and property damage. Data are gathered from Japanese governmental statistics, insurance statistics, and research institutes. Results: Our prediction indicates that in the medium-term, the Japanese automobile insurance market will remain stable, and the reduction in the frequency of accidents may proceed slowly and will be mostly offset by the increasing amount of claims per accident. Although we do not have a quantitative estimation for the long term, it may fall drastically after the onset of fully automated driving. Implications: The challenge for insurers in the medium term will be to adapt to the transitional period of declining automobile accidents. In the long term, the weight of lines will shift from automobile insurance to new types of insurance, and insurers will need to implement various structural changes to adapt to this change.

Cost analysis of stable electric and hydrogen energy supplies derived from 100% variable renewable resources systems

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the costs and specifications of 100% VRE (Variable Renewable Energy) systems that consist of VRE and energy storage systems. For that purpose, a model was developed to comprehensively analyze the costs and the specifications of 100% VRE systems. Using the model, the following results were obtained: (1) A hybrid storage system of battery and hydrogen storage that are optimally combined, as well as the optimal combination of solar and wind power, could reduce supply costs of electric energy. Concerning the hybrid storage system, the battery that operates with a daily cycle cooperates with the hydrogen storage that operates with a multiple day cycle, and; (2) multi-production systems that supply electric energy as well as hydrogen energy could reduce energy supply costs when an optimal combination of electric energy and hydrogen energy is achieved. However, the supply costs of stable electric energy as well as hydrogen energy from the 100% VRE systems are more expensive than the target costs in 2030 in Japan. In order to reduce the energy supply costs, it is necessary to reduce the costs of elemental technologies such as solar, wind power, battery, and hydrogen-related technologies.

Development of Bile Direct Stent Having Antifouling Properties by Atmospheric Pressure Low-Temperature Plasma

Biomimetics (or biomimicry) is a field of technologies based on imitating various functions and properties of organisms. Waterproof products, which are inspired by lotus leaves with super-water-repellent fine structures, are a well-known example of biomimetics. The present study examined the surface structure of snail shells, which exhibit oil repellency (oleophobic property). Snail shells have nanoporous structures with nanoholes on the scale of 200–400 nm. When water enters these nanoholes, the surface is covered by thin water films. The oil can be repelled by the water film. These structures are known as superhydrophilic nanostructures. An earlier report discussed our efforts to create such nanostructures using a nanoimprinting method and assessed the feasibility of application to the inner walls of biliary stents. This involves a labor-consuming two-stage process involving creating nanostructures on a film surface, then rolling the film into a tube. In addition, the nanoimprinting mold made via electron beam lithography is costly and unsuitable for mass production.To overcome these issues, we sought to develop elemental technologies for providing antifouling properties to biliary stents, which are made of polyethylenes (PEs), by forming nanostructures directly on the inner surface, using atmospheric pressure low-temperature plasma. We formed nanostructures on the inner walls of PE tubes of varying diameters under varying plasma conditions. We then examined the resulting structures and effects of the antifouling properties thus imparted.

Simulation Study of a Shield-Free Directional Gamma-Ray Detector Using Small-Angle Compton Scattering

Abstract Gamma-ray imaging is a technique for visualizing the spatial distribution of radioactive materials. Gamma-ray imaging has recently been applied to research on environmental restoration and decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS). In this paper, we present an elemental technology study of the gamma-ray imager using small-angle scattering (GISAS), which is intended for application at the FDNPS decommissioning site. GISAS consists of a set of directional gamma-ray detectors that do not require a shield. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of a shield-free directional gamma-ray detector by simulation. The simulation result suggests that by measuring scattered-electron energies of several keV using a scatterer detector, gamma rays with ultrasmall-angle scattering could be selected. Using Compton scattering kinematics, a shield-free detector with a directivity of about 10 deg may be feasible. By arranging the directional gamma-ray detectors in an array, we expect to be able to realize the GISAS, which is small, light, and capable of quantitative measurement.

Laying down of gold nanorods monolayers on solid surfaces for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy applications.

Laying-down gold nanorods (GNRs) of a monolayer immobilized on a solid substrate was realized with a hybrid method, a combination of three elemental technologies: surface modification, electrophoresis, and solvent evaporation. The self-assembly of CTAB-protected GNRs in the solution was induced by 0.05 mM of EDTA. The assembled GNRs were deposited in a laying-down form on the solid surface during the hybrid method. The final coverage was over 71% on the substrate with an area larger than 0.6 cm2. The spacing between the sides of the GNRs was fixed to be 4.6 ± 0.9 nm by the thermal annealing-promoted crystalline packing of the bilayer of CTAB salt-bridged with EDTA. The obtained laying-down GNRs of a monolayer on the gold substrate show a small shift of the transverse LSPR around 550-570 nm (with a width of around 100 nm) and a large red shift of the longitudinal LSPR to be 900-1050 nm (with a width of 500 nm), because of the strong electromagnetic coupling between the GNRs and gold substrate. Therefore it can be used in a wide range of wavelengths for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) applications. The film has a high enhancement factor with 105 for R6G.

Evaluation of the Degradation Rates and Biocompatibility of Magnesium Pins with Different Compositions, and Processing Techniques for Oral Staplers In Vivo and In Vitro

Oral sutures are common and in high demand for oral treatments, and invariably increase physicians' workload. Herein, we examined the degradation of magnesium alloy pins with different elemental compositions and processing technologies both in vivo and in vitro, and analyzed their cytocompatibilities to verify the feasibility of their use as oral tissue suture materials. The results showed that Mg–Zn–Ca–4Ag, which completely degraded in less than a week in vitro, exhibited large areas of corrosion, local fractures within two weeks, and degraded almost completely within a period of four weeks in vivo. The other magnesium alloy pins studied herein showed no distinct degradation even after two months, with small amounts of pitting corrosions found on the surface. The cytocompatibility test revealed that Mg–Zn–Ca–4Ag showed good biocompatibility and promoted cell growth when the Mg concentration was 50 g/mL. Therefore, Mg–Zn–Ca–4Ag can be biocompatible, while degrading within a month. Therefore, by further optimizing the processing technology and composition, magnesium alloys are expected to emerge as new materials for oral sutures. Moreover, staplers are expected to emerge as a new method for oral, soft-tissue suturing.

Optical inactivation of synaptic molecules by chromophore-assisted light inactivation

It is suggested that spatiotemporal dynamics of molecular activities such as locality and timing are important as well as simple ON / OFF system in the living cells. On the other hand, the physiological significance of these activities and the extent of their contribution to the in vivo remain largely unknown. Recently, live imaging has been used as a method to approach these issues. Although imaging technique has revealed the correlation between molecular and cellular dynamics and biological phenomena, new methods are needed to elucidate the causal relationship between them. The CALI (chromophore-assisted light inactivation) is one of the optical technologies for molecular inactivation by using photosensitizers that release reactive oxygen species upon irradiation. Such locally and temporally inactivation of target molecules by light is effective in elucidating the spatiotemporal properties of molecules, which are difficult to approach by genome manipulation. Our new CALI method is attracting a lot of attention as a next-generation technology for neuroscience (Humeau Y et al. Nat. Neurosci. 2019, Frank JA et al. Nat. Biotechnol. 2019, Paoletti P et al. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 2019 etc.). In this presentation, we will first introduce the elemental technology of our highly efficient and versatile CALI methods. In addition, the application of the CALI method to novel molecules will be introduced in detail, including our recently reported work on elucidating the memory mechanism using the CALI method (Takemoto K et al. Nat. Biotechnol. 2017).

Disease Ionomics: Understanding the Role of Ions in Complex Disease.

Ionomics is a novel multidisciplinary field that uses advanced techniques to investigate the composition and distribution of all minerals and trace elements in a living organism and their variations under diverse physiological and pathological conditions. It involves both high-throughput elemental profiling technologies and bioinformatic methods, providing opportunities to study the molecular mechanism underlying the metabolism, homeostasis, and cross-talk of these elements. While much effort has been made in exploring the ionomic traits relating to plant physiology and nutrition, the use of ionomics in the research of serious diseases is still in progress. In recent years, a number of ionomic studies have been carried out for a variety of complex diseases, which offer theoretical and practical insights into the etiology, early diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy of them. This review aims to give an overview of recent applications of ionomics in the study of complex diseases and discuss the latest advances and future trends in this area. Overall, disease ionomics may provide substantial information for systematic understanding of the properties of the elements and the dynamic network of elements involved in the onset and development of diseases.