Explore the vast range of titles available.

Humans process a plethora of sensory information that is provided by various entities in the surrounding environment. Among the five major senses, technology for touch, haptics, is relatively young and has relatively limited applications largely due to its need for physical contact. In this article, we suggest a new way for non-contact haptic stimulation that uses laser , which has potential advantages such as mid-air stimulation, high spatial precision and long working distance. We demonstrate such tactile stimulation can be enabled by laser-induced thermoelastic effects by means of physical and perceptual studies, as well as simulations. In the physical study, the mechanical effect of laser on a human skin sample is detected using low-power radiation in accordance with safety guidelines. Limited increases (< ~2.5 °C) in temperature at the surface of the skin, examined by both thermal camera and the Monte Carlo simulation, indicate that laser does not evoke heat-induced nociceptive sensation. In the human EEG study, brain responses to both mechanical and laser stimulation are consistent, along with subjective reports of the non-nociceptive sensation of laser stimuli.

Piperine is a bioactive alkaloid compound which provides a unique spicy flavor derived from plants of the Piper nigrum L. Black pepper (n = 160) collected from Vietnam was studied using non-destructive near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). The spectral acquisition ranged from 1100 to 2500 nm, and a chemometrics analysis program was performed to quantify the piperine contents. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was carried out to develop a chemometric model based on reference values. The black pepper samples were divided into two groups used for calibration (n = 120) and prediction (n = 40) sets. The optimum calibration model was developed by pretreatment of the spectra. The analyses results based on the prediction samples included a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.914, a root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) and a standard error of prediction (SEP) of about 0.220 g/100 g, and a ratio performance to deviation (RPD) value of 3.378 regarding the partial least square (PLS) regression model, and an R2 of 0.921, an RMSEP and SEP of 0.210 g/100 g, and an RPD of 3.571, with respect to the principal components (PC) regression model. These results indicate that NIRS can be applicable as a control, or as an alternative rapid and effective method to quantify piperine in P. nigrum L.

For this study, we developed a simple pressure and heat stimulator that can quantitatively control pressure and provide heat stimulation to intra- and interdigit areas. The developed stimulator consists of a control unit, drive units, and tactors. The control unit controls the stimulation parameters, such as stimulation types, intensity, time, and channel, and transmits a created signal of stimulation to the drive units. The drive units operate pressure and heat tactors in response to commands from the control unit. The pressure and heat tactors can display various stimulation intensities quantitatively, apply stimulation continuously, and adjust the stimulation areas. Additionally, they can easily be attached to and detached from the digits. The developed pressure and heat stimulator is small in total size, easy to install, and inexpensive to manufacture. The new stimulator operated stably in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment without affecting the obtained images. A preliminary functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment confirmed that differences in activation of somatosensory areas were induced from the pressure and heat stimulation. The developed pressure and heat stimulator is expected to be utilized for future intra- and interdigit fMRI studies on pressure and heat stimulation.

An injection-compression molding method was applied for film insert molding, where films had three-dimensional embossed patterns. An injection-compression mold was developed, and a one valve-gate hot runner system was built into the mold, in order to prevent melt backflow in the compression stage. Injection-compression molding experiments under different compression conditions, including compression stroke and compression speed, were performed, to investigate their effects on the height of embossed patterns. The compression stroke significantly affected the height of embossed patterns after film insert molding; however, the effect of compression speed on the embossed patterns was small. The main criterion for affecting the height of embossed patterns was not the maximum cavity pressure, but the integral value of cavity pressures along time. The degree of conservation of embossed patterns in injection-compression molding was significantly improved, and was more uniform along the positions, compared with that in conventional injection molding.

For this study, we developed a magnetic resonance (MR)-compatible vibrotactile stimulator using a planar-coil-type actuator. The newly developed vibrotactile stimulator consists of three units: control unit, drive unit, and planar-coil-type actuator. The control unit controls frequency, intensity, time, and channel, and transfers the stimulation signals to the drive unit. The drive unit operates the planar-coil-type actuator in response to commands from the control unit. The planar-coil-type actuator, which uses a planar coil instead of conventional electric wire, generates vibrating stimulation through interaction of the current of the planar coil with the static magnetic field of the MR scanner. Even though the developed tactile stimulating system is small, simple, and inexpensive, it has a wide range of stimulation frequencies (20 ~ 400 Hz, at 40 levels) and stimulation intensities (0 ~ 7 V, at 256 levels). The stimulation intensity does not change due to frequency changes. Since the transient response time is a few microseconds, the stimulation time can be controlled on a scale of microseconds. In addition, this actuator has the advantages of providing highly repeatable stimulation, being durable, being able to assume various shapes, and having an adjustable contact area with the skin. The new stimulator operated stably in an MR environment without affecting the MR images. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we observed the brain activation changes resulting from stimulation frequency and intensity changes.

A numerical model based on Berreman’s 4 × 4 matrix approach was developed and used for computational simulation of a cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) polarizer. Explicit expressions of the 4 × 4 propagation matrices for several optical films, which constitute a CLC polarizer, were presented. Numerical simulations for optical properties of a CLC layer, a linear polarizer and a CLC polarizer were executed, and the simulated results were found to be in fairly good agreement with measured results.

Intracavity frequency doubling of a single-mode Nd:YAG laser using a nonplanar ring cavity is demonstrated. The nonplanar ring cavity consists of a Brewster-angled Nd: YAG crystal placed in a magnetic field, a KTP crystal, and two spherical mirrors. In this design the Nd:YAG crystal acts as both a nonreciprocal polarization rotator and a partial polarizer, and the nonplanar portion of the ring cavity, which is formed by a relative twist angle between the Brewster-angled end surfaces of the crystal, serves as a reciprocal polarization rotator. Eigenpolarization theory for the cavity configuration is presented and a suitable value of the relative twist angle for unidirectional operation is estimated. A single-mode output power of 22 mW at 532 nm is obtained with a 1.2-W diode laser at 809 nm and a laser linewidth of less than 100 kHz is inferred from a beat note frequency spectrum between two identical laser systems.

A numerical model based on ray optics formulation taking the optical path length into account was described and applied to numerical investigations on a thermal birefringence compensation scheme proposed and experimentally demonstrated by Q, Lüet al. [Opt. Quantum Electron.28 (1996) 57]. Taking into consideration the thermal lensing effects of laser rods depolarization losses and spatial intensity profiles of depolarized beams were calculated for the scheme. It was theoretically confirmed that using a polarization rotator and imaging optics effective compensation for the birefringence in rods is possible for a wide range of pumping power.

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is characterized by the presence of auto-antibodies and high blood immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels. In this study, the line immunoassay (LIA) was designed to assess various autoantibodies. In total, 1371 patients who underwent autoimmune liver disease antibody testing between July 2019 and November 2022 were enrolled. Autoantibodies including antinuclear antibody (ANA) and anti-mitochondrial antibody (AMA) were tested, and clinical data were collected. Statistical analyses were performed by categorizing the data based on diagnosis and IgG quantification separately. A scoring system was applied to identify individuals with AIH. Patients were also classified into the AIH and non-AIH groups. The positivity rate for ANA was 80.2% in the AIH group. The IgG-high group had a high likelihood of the presence of detectable autoantibodies, with anti-Ro-52 being the most frequently detected antibody using LIA. The \"Consider AIH\" and \"AMA\" groups had 3-4 times more patients in the IgG-high group than in the \"Not Considered\" group. Among autoantibodies, the prevalence of ANA was the highest. As per LIA results, anti-Ro-52 was the most prevalent. AIH cannot be diagnosed based on IgG levels alone and must be distinguished via autoantibody testing. Therefore, extensive testing, including autoantibodies, IgG, ANA, and liver enzyme levels, will help accurately diagnose AIH.

Purpose Somatic hypermutation (SHM) of the immunoglobulin heavy chain variable ( IGHV ) region is a key prognostic marker in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Traditionally, SHM status has been determined using Sanger sequencing (SS); however, next-generation sequencing (NGS) provides an alternative method for assessing both SHM status and clonal rearrangements. This study aimed to compare the performance of two commercially available NGS assays for evaluating IGH clonality and SHM status in CLL. Methods In this retrospective study, 42 samples from patients diagnosed with CLL were analyzed. Genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood or bone marrow aspirates was analyzed using two commercial NGS assays: the LymphoTrack® IGHV Leader (Leader) and IGH FR1 (FR1) assays (Invivoscribe, CA, USA). SS was performed as the reference method for SHM assessment. Results The Leader assay identified clonality in 95.2% of cases, whereas the FR1 assay detected clonality in 88.1%. Conclusive SHM status was determined in 90.5% of samples using the Leader assay and in 76.2% using the FR1 assay; when results from both assays were combined, the rate increased to 92.9%. Among samples with conclusive results by both SS and each NGS assay, the Leader assay demonstrated higher concordance with SS (97.1%, 34/35) than the FR1 assay (86.2%, 25/29). Greater variability in clonal detection was observed with the FR1 assay. Conclusion These findings indicate that the Leader assay provides a more reliable assessment of SHM status, with higher concordance with SS. Although the FR1 assay may offer additional information regarding clonal patterns, its results should be interpreted cautiously. Given the limited sample size, further studies are warranted to validate these findings. Overall, the Leader assay appears to be more suitable as a primary tool for SHM evaluation, with FR1 results serving a complementary role when interpreted in clinical context.