Robust Full-Surface Bonding of Substrate and Electrode for Ultra-Flexible Sensor Integration.

The integration of multiple flexible electronics is crucial for the development of ultra-flexible wearable and implantable devices. To fabricate an integrated system, robust and flexible bonding throughout the connection area, irrespective of the electrode or substrate, is needed. Conventional methods for flexible direct bonding have primarily been confined to metal electrodes or substrate-only bonding due to varying material properties.

Sensing the restoring force characteristics for detached house structural health monitoring using a camera and accelerometer fusion.

A new method to sense the restoring force characteristics using camera and accelerometer fusion was developed. Simple methods for monitoring detached wooden houses are required to minimize earthquake damage. The restoring force characteristics, which are calculated using the interstory drift and response acceleration, must be measured.

Feasibility of a nurse-initiated brief cognitive behavioral strategy intervention program for symptom clusters experienced by patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Objective: To assess the feasibility of a nurse-initiated brief cognitive behavioral strategy (CBS) intervention program targeting pain and fatigue symptoms among the pain and fatigue/anorexia symptom clusters experienced by patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: In this single-group, pre-post test study, 15 NSCLC outpatients undergoing medical treatment participated. After providing informed consent, participants completed a baseline questionnaire and received a booklet detailing brief cognitive-behavioral techniques (e.

[Allergy and immunotoxicology in preventive and clinical medicine from theory to practice: Environmental factors in bronchial asthma].

Background: According to the gene-environment interactions concept, the mechanism of health impairment can be explained by genetic factors, environmental factors, or their interaction. Physical and mental health effects resulting from environmental exposure may be classified either as toxicity, immune response, and allergic reaction. Moreover, despite the already established therapeutic approaches to bronchial asthma and decreasing mortality due to bronchial asthma, patients with difficult and severe asthma are increasing in number.

Wearable EMG Measurement Device Using Polyurethane Foam for Motion Artifact Suppression.

We propose the use of a specially designed polyurethane foam with a plateau region in its mechanical characteristics-where stress remains nearly constant during deformation-between the electromyography (EMG) electrode and clothing to suppress motion artifacts in EMG measurement. Wearable EMG devices are receiving attention for monitoring muscle weakening due to aging. However, daily EMG measurement has been challenging due to motion artifacts caused by changes in the contact pressure between the bioelectrode and the skin.

A Wireless Passive Pressure-Sensing Method for Cryogenic Applications Using Magnetoresistors.

In this study, we developed a novel wireless, passive pressure-sensing method functional at cryogenic temperatures (-196 °C). The currently used pressure sensors are inconvenient and complicated in cryogenic environments for their weak low-temperature tolerances and long wires for power supply and data transmission. We propose a novel pressure-sensing method for cryogenic applications by only using low-temperature-tolerant passive devices.

Flexible Iron-On Sensor Embedded in Smart Sock for Gait Event Detection.

Portable and wearable electronics for biomechanical data collection have become a growing part of everyday life. As smart technology improves and integrates into our lives, some devices remain ineffective, expensive, or difficult to access. We propose a washable iron-on textile pressure sensor for biometric data acquisition.

Analyses of BER-referred noise-to-signal ratio in online measurements of high-baud-rate coherent receivers.

Digital coherent transmission features a very large transmission bandwidth and has played a main role in core optical transmission networks. With the progress of semiconductor technologies, practical coherent transceivers with rates over 100 Gbaud are becoming feasible. With such advances, the transceiver components must have lower power consumption and lower costs, and it becomes important to know how each component contributes to the overall transmission performance.

Margined Horn-Shaped Air Chamber for Body-Conduction Microphone.

The sound amplification ratios of sealed air chambers with different shapes were quantitatively compared to design a body-conduction microphone to measure animal scratching sounds. Recently, quantitative monitoring of scratching intensity in dogs has been required. We have already developed a collar with a body-conduction microphone to measure body-conducted scratching sounds.

Comparative Studies on Electrodes for Rumen Bacteria Microbial Fuel Cells.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) using rumen bacteria have been proposed as a power source for running devices inside cattle. In this study, we explored the key parameters of the conventional bamboo charcoal electrode in an attempt to improve the amount of electrical power generated by the microbial fuel cell. We evaluated the effects of the electrode's surface area, thickness, and rumen content on power generation and determined that only the electrode's surface area affects power generation levels.

Combination of Micro-Corrugation Process and Pre-Stretched Method for Highly Stretchable Vertical Wavy Structured Metal Interconnects.

Metal interconnects with a vertical wavy structure have been studied to realize high-density and low-electric-resistance stretchable interconnects. This study proposed a new method for fabricating vertical wavy structured metal interconnects that comprises the pre-stretch method and the micro-corrugation process. The pre-stretch method is a conventional method in which a metal film is placed on a pre-stretched substrate, and a vertical wavy structure is formed using the return force of the substrate.

Urethane-Foam-Embedded Silicon Pressure Sensors including Stress-Concentration Packaging Structure for Driver Posture Monitoring.

We propose urethane-foam-embedded silicon pressure sensors, including a stress-concentration packaging structure, for integration into a car seat to monitor the driver's cognitive state, posture, and driving behavior. The technical challenges of embedding silicon pressure sensors in urethane foam are low sensitivity due to stress dispersion of the urethane foam and non-linear sensor response caused by the non-uniform deformation of the foam. Thus, the proposed package structure includes a cover to concentrate the force applied over the urethane foam and frame to eliminate this non-linear stress because the outer edge of the cover receives large non-linear stress concentration caused by the geometric non-linearity of the uneven height of the sensor package and ground substrate.

Stress concentration-relocating interposer in electronic textile packaging using thermoplastic elastic polyurethane film with via holes for bearing textile stretch.

Electronic textile (e-textile) devices require mechanically reliable packaging that can bear up to 30% stretch induced by textile crimp stretch, because the boundary between the rigid electronic components and the soft fabric circuit in the e-textile is prone to rupture due to mismatch of their mechanical properties. Here, we describe a thin stress-concentration-relocating interposer that can sustain a textile stretch of up to 36%, which is greater than the 16% stretch of conventional packaging. The stress-concentration-relocating interposer consists of thin soft thermoplastic polyurethane film with soft via holes and is inserted between the electronic components and fabric circuit in order to move the area of stress concentration from the wiring area of the fabric circuit to the film.

[Allergy and immunotoxicology in preventive and clinical medicine from theory to practice: Occupational allergy and isocyanate-induced asthma].

Genetic and environmental factors and their interactions cause diseases and deteriorate health (Genetic and Environmental Interaction). Exposure to environmental factors plays a major role in the deterioration of health in the workplace.Occupational asthma (OA) is a common disorder in the workplace.

Effect of Au Film Thickness and Surface Roughness on Room-Temperature Wafer Bonding and Wafer-Scale Vacuum Sealing by Au-Au Surface Activated Bonding.

Au-Au surface activated bonding (SAB) using ultrathin Au films is effective for room-temperature pressureless wafer bonding. This paper reports the effect of the film thickness (15-500 nm) and surface roughness (0.3-1.

Valve-Actuator-Integrated Reference Electrode for an Ultra-Long-Life Rumen pH Sensor.

We demonstrated a newly developed Ag/AgCl reference electrode- with a valve-actuator for two years or longer rumen pH monitoring. Previous studies on pH sensors reported that the short lifetime of Ag/AgCl reference electrodes is caused by an outflow of internal electrolyte. We introduced a valve-actuator into a liquid junction to reduce the outflow by intermittent measurement.

Evaluation of ruminal motility in cattle by a bolus-type wireless sensor.

We evaluated the relationship between ruminal motility measured by a force transducer and acceleration measured by bolus sensor, and we assessed the detection of ruminal motility in cattle by a bolus-type wireless sensor. The bolus sensor can be orally administered to cattle and was placed in the reticulum for continuous measurements. The probe was almost horizontal to the longitudinal axis.

The relationship between prenatal psychological stress and placental abruption in Japan, The Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).

Background: Prenatal psychological stress may increase the risk of placental abruption (PA). This study aimed to clarify the effects of psychological distress during pregnancy and exposure to stressful life events in the year before or during pregnancy on the occurrence of PA in Japanese women.

Methods: Using a nationwide prospective birth cohort study, we obtained data from 103,099 women between January 2011 and March 2014.

Comparison of Argon and Oxygen Plasma Treatments for Ambient Room-Temperature Wafer-Scale Au⁻Au Bonding Using Ultrathin Au Films.

Au⁻Au surface activated bonding is promising for room-temperature bonding. The use of Ar plasma vs. O₂ plasma for pretreatment was investigated for room-temperature wafer-scale Au⁻Au bonding using ultrathin Au films (<50 nm) in ambient air.

Plastic-scale-model assembly of ultrathin film MEMS piezoresistive strain sensor with conventional vacuum-suction chip mounter.

We developed a plastic-scale-model assembly of an ultrathin film piezoresistive microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) strain sensor with a conventional vacuum-suction chip mounter for the application to flexible and wearable strain sensors. A plastic-scale-model MEMS chip consists of 5-μm ultrathin piezoresistive strain sensor film, ultrathin disconnection parts, and a thick outer frame. The chip mounter applies pressure to the ultrathin piezoresistive strain sensor film and cuts the disconnection parts to separate the sensor film from the outer frame.

Estrous detection by continuous measurements of vaginal temperature and conductivity with supervised machine learning in cattle.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of estrous detection technique based on continuous measurements of vaginal temperature (VT) and conductivity (VC) with supervised machine learning in cattle. The VT and VC of 17 cows in tie-stalls were measured using our developed wearable vaginal sensor from Day 11 (Day 0 = ovulation day) to Day 11 of the subsequent estrous cycle at 15-min interval. After the maximum VT and VC were extracted hourly, their changes were expressed as residual VT (rVT = actual VT - mean VT for the same time on the previous 3 days) and as VC ratio (VCr = actual VC/mean VC for the same time on Day 11-13), respectively, and were used for analysis.

Minimized Bolus-Type Wireless Sensor Node with a Built-In Three-Axis Acceleration Meter for Monitoring a Cow's Rumen Conditions.

Monitoring rumen conditions in cows is important because a dysfunctional rumen system may cause death. Sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA) is a typical disease in cows, and is characterized by repeated periods of low ruminal pH. SARA is regarded as a trigger for rumen atony, rumenitis, and abomasal displacement, which may cause death.

Estrous detection by monitoring ventral tail base surface temperature using a wearable wireless sensor in cattle.

In the present study, the ventral tail base surface temperature (ST) was monitored using a wearable wireless sensor for estrus detection in cattle. Relationships among ST, behavioral estrus expression, ovulation, and changes in hormone profiles during the estrous cycle were examined. Holstein Friesian or Japanese Black female cattle were used in summer (August-September), autumn (October-November) and winter (January-February; three animals per season).

S-shape spring sensor: Sensing specific low-frequency vibration by energy harvesting.

We have developed a Si-based microelectromechanical systems sensor with high sensitivity for specific low-frequency vibration-sensing and energy-harvesting applications. The low-frequency vibration sensor contains a disk proof mass attached to two or three lead zirconate titanate (PZT) S-shape spring flexures. To obtain a faster and less expensive prototype, the design and optimization of the sensor structure are studied via finite-element method analysis.