Abstract: In the present invention, a method of producing stable bare colloidal gold nanoparticles is disclosed. The nanoparticles can subsequently be subjected to partial or full surface modification. The method comprises preparation of colloidal gold nanoparticles in a liquid by employing a top-down nanofabrication method using bulk gold as a source material. The surface modification of these nanoparticles is carried out by adding one or multiple types of ligands each containing functional groups which exhibit affinity for gold nanoparticle surfaces to produce the conjugates. Because of the high efficiency and excellent stability of the nanoparticles produced by this method, the fabricated gold nanoparticle conjugates can have surface coverage with functional ligands which can be tuned to be any percent value between 0 and 100%.

Abstract: Various embodiments include a method of producing chemically pure and stably dispersed metal and metal-alloy nanoparticle colloids with ultrafast pulsed laser ablation. A method comprises irradiating a metal or metal alloy target submerged in a liquid with ultrashort laser pulses at a high repetition rate, cooling a portion of the liquid that includes an irradiated region, and collecting nanoparticles produced with the laser irradiation and liquid cooling. The method may be implemented with a high repetition rate ultrafast pulsed laser source, an optical system for focusing and moving the pulsed laser beams, a metal or metal alloy target submerged in a liquid, and a liquid circulating system to cool the laser focal volume and collect the nanoparticle products. By controlling various laser parameters, and with optional liquid flow movement, the method provides stable colloids of dispersed metal and metal-alloy nanoparticles. In various embodiments additional stabilizing chemical agents are not required.

Abstract: A composite nanoparticle, for example a nanoparticle containing one or a plurality of cores embedded in another material. A composite nanoparticle can be formed by a one step process that includes: ejecting material from a bulk target material using physical energy source, with the bulk target material disposed in a liquid. Composite nanoparticles are formed by cooling at least a portion of the ejected material in the liquid. The composite fine particles may then be collected from the liquid. A product that includes composite fine particles may be formed with laser ablation, and ultrashort laser ablation may be utilized so as to preserve composite nanoparticle stoichiometry. For applications of the composite fine particles, optical properties and/or magnetic properties may be exploited for various applications.

Abstract: A mirror device includes a mirror (153) which is supported to be pivotable with respect to a mirror substrate (151), a driving electrode (103-1-103-4) which is formed on an electrode substrate (101) facing the mirror substrate, and an antistatic structure (106) which is arranged in a space between the mirror and the electrode substrate. This structure can fix the potential of the lower surface of the mirror and suppress drift of the mirror by applying a second potential to the antistatic structure.

Abstract: A mirror device includes a mirror (153) which is supported to be pivotable with respect to a mirror substrate (151), a driving electrode (103-1-103-4) which is formed on an electrode substrate (101) facing the mirror substrate, and an antistatic structure (106) which is arranged in a space between the mirror and the electrode substrate. This structure can fix the potential of the lower surface of the mirror and suppress drift of the mirror by applying a second potential to the antistatic structure.

Abstract: The invention relates to a liquid-crystalline medium based on a mixture of polar compounds having negative dielectric anisotropy, which contains at least one compound of the formula I and at least one compound of the formula II in which R1, R2, R3, R4, ring A, Z1, Z2 and m are as defined in Claim 1, and to the use thereof for an active-matrix display based on the ECB, VA, PS-VA, FFS, PALO or IPS effect.

Abstract: A mirror device includes a mirror (153) which is supported to be pivotable with respect to a mirror substrate (151), a driving electrode (103-1-103-4) which is formed on an electrode substrate (101) facing the mirror substrate, and an antistatic structure (106) which is arranged in a space between the mirror and the electrode substrate. This structure can fix the potential of the lower surface of the mirror and suppress drift of the mirror by applying a second potential to the antistatic structure.

Abstract: The present invention relates to lead-free piezoelectric ceramic materials comprising crystalline (and preferably perovskite crystalline) structures of the formula Bi1-x(RE)xFeO3, where RE is one or more of La, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu, and 0?x?0.3. The materials are at or near the morphotropic phase boundary and display enhanced piezoelectric and dielectric properties.

Abstract: The present invention relates to lead-free piezoelectric ceramic materials comprising crystalline (and preferably perovskite crystalline) structures of the formula Bi1-x(RE)xFeO3, where RE is one or more of La, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu, and 0?x?0.3. The materials are at or near the morphotropic phase boundary and display enhanced piezoelectric and dielectric properties.

Abstract: A mirror device includes a mirror (153) which is supported to be pivotable with respect to a mirror substrate (151), a driving electrode (103-1-103-4) which is formed on an electrode substrate (101) facing the mirror substrate, and an antistatic structure (106) which is arranged in a space between the mirror and the electrode substrate. This structure can fix the potential of the lower surface of the mirror and suppress drift of the mirror by applying a second potential to the antistatic structure.

Abstract: A structure of storing a vehicular seat according to one aspect of the invention is constituted by a seat detachably connected to a support base, and a storing space capable of storing the seat detached from the support base. The seat includes an engaging member is fixed to the support base by engaging an engaging portion provided at the support base. The storing space includes a bottom wall, side walls erected to an upper side from two left and right side edges of the bottom wall, and a depth wall erected from a depth edge of the bottom wall to the upper side, and is constituted to slide to store the seat. The seat includes fixing means at predetermined positions inside of the storing space. The fixing means are formed by shapes to slidingly receive and to fix the engaging member of the seat.

Abstract: In a portable phone, a signal received by a GPS antenna passes through a SAW filter and is amplified by an LNA. An addition section adds a cancellation signal generated by a cancellation signal generation section to the amplified signal to cancel noise superimposed on the received signal.

Abstract: An device for Raman spectroscopy such as surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is disclosed herein. Various embodiments may be utilized to prepare a SERS substrate using several deposition techniques such as pulsed laser deposition. Some embodiments optimize coverage, volume, or elements of SERS active metals. The method is a single step inexpensive method for preparing a SERS active substrate. In some embodiments a coating layer underneath the SERS active metals is utilized for additional enhancements.

Abstract: A frequency spectrum analyzing apparatus for performing a frequency spectrum analysis with respect to a detected value of an operating parameter of an internal combustion engine in synchronism with rotation of the engine, is provided. The operating parameter is sampled at predetermined time intervals, and a sampled value is converted to a digital value. Intensities of first and second elements are calculated with respect to a predetermined number of the sampled values. The first elements and second elements respectively correspond to a plurality of frequency components contained in the detected value, and a phase of the second element differs from a phase of the first element by 90 degrees. Frequency component intensities corresponding to the plurality of frequency components are calculated in synchronism with rotation of the engine, using the first element intensities and the second element intensities.

Abstract: In a portable phone, a signal received by a GPS antenna passes through a SAW filter and is amplified by an LNA. An addition section adds a cancellation signal generated by a cancellation signal generation section to the amplified signal to cancel noise superimposed on the received signal.

Abstract: A method of tuning thin film properties using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) by tuning laser parameters is provided. Various embodiments may be utilized to tune magnetic properties, conductivity or other physical properties. Some embodiments may improve performance of electrochemical devices, for example a thin film electrode may be fabricated resulting in improved reaction speed of a Li ion battery. By way of example, a material property of thin film is tuned by setting a pulse duration. In some embodiments the numbers of laser pulses and laser pulse energy are other laser parameters which may be utilized to tune the film properties. The materials that can be synthesized using various embodiments of the invention include, but are not limited to, metals and metal oxides.

Abstract: A dispersion compensation device includes: an optical branching unit to branch an optical signal to be received; a first dispersion compensator to perform dispersion compensation on one part of the optical signal branched by the optical branching unit with a variable compensation amount; a second dispersion compensator to perform dispersion compensation on another part of the optical signal branched by the optical branching unit; a monitoring unit to monitor the communication quality of an output optical signal of the second dispersion compensator; and a controlling unit to determine the direction of variation in chromatic dispersion of the optical signal based on the direction of variation in communication quality monitored by the monitoring unit and control the compensation amount of the first dispersion compensator based on the result of the determination.

Abstract: An inexpensive, productivity-enhanced single-phase AC synchronous motor in which stabilized synchronous pull-in can be carried out by suppressing generation of counter torque during a starting operation. Starting operation is performed while the energizing range of motor current is suppressed such that the energizing direction of motor current waveform lagging in a phase behind the output waveform from a detection sensor (17) is switched at at least the zero cross point of the output waveform from the sensor when the number of revolutions of a permanent magnet rotor (1) reaches a predetermined number of revolutions in the vicinity of the synchronous number of revolutions.

Abstract: A multiplication section multiplies a signal output from a GPS antenna by a local oscillation signal generated by a local oscillation signal generation section to down-convert the signal output from the GPS antenna into an intermediate-frequency signal. A sampling circuit section samples a generated signal generated by a portable electronic circuit using a sampling clock signal having a frequency lower than a frequency of the generated signal. An attenuation section generates a cancellation signal by attenuating the sampled signal, and an addition section adds the cancellation signal to the signal output from the multiplication section to cancel in-band noise superimposed on the received signal.