We present here a magnetic tunnel junction device using perpendicular magnetization films designed for magnetic random access memory (MRAM). In order to achieve high-density MRAM, magnetic tunnel junction devices with a small area of low aspect ratio (length/width) is required. However, all MRAMs reported so far consist of in-plane magnetization films, which require an aspect ratio of 2 or more in order to reduce magnetization curling at the edge. Meanwhile, a perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction (pMTJ) can achieve an aspect ratio=1 because the low saturation magnetization does not cause magnetization curling. Magnetic-force microscope shows that stable and uniform magnetization states were observed in 0.3 μm×0.3 μm perpendicular magnetization film fabricated by focused-ion beam. In contrast, in-plane magnetization films clearly show the presence of magnetization vortices at 0.5 μm×0.5 μm, which show the impossibility of information storage. The PMTJ shows a magnetoresistive (MR) ratio larger than 50% with a squareness ratio of 1 and no degradation of MR ratio at 103 Ω μm2 ordered junction resistance.

A liquid free surface in partially filled containers can experience a wide spectrum of motions such as planar, non-planar, rotational, quasi-periodic, chaotic, and disintegration. Civil engineers and seismologists have been studying liquid sloshing effects on large dams, oil tanks and elevated water towers under ground motion. Since the early 1960’s, the problem of liquid sloshing dynamics has been of major concern to aerospace engineers studying the influence of liquid propellant sloshing on the flight performance of jet vehicles. Since then, new areas of research activities have emerged. The modern theory of nonlinear dynamics has indeed promoted further studies and uncovered complex nonlinear phenomena. These include rotary sloshing, Faraday waves, nonlinear liquid sloshing interaction with elastic structures, internal resonance effects, stochastic sloshing dynamics, hydrodynamic sloshing impact dynamics, g-jitter under microgravity field, cross-waves, and spatial resonance. The dynamic stability of liquid gas tankers and ship cargo tankers, and liquid hydrodynamic impact loading are problems of current interest to the designers of such systems. This article will address the means of passive control of liquid sloshing and the use of liquid sloshing forces to control vibratory structures. Other important contributions include the development of digital computer codes to solve complex problems that were difficult to handle in the past. The purpose of this article is to review the research work developed in different applications. It will highlight the major achievements and results reported in the literature. Some early work will be cited very briefly in order to provide an updated bibliography of liquid sloshing dynamics. This review article contains 1,319 references.

Nonlinear responses of surface waves in rigid square and nearly square tanks partially filled with liquid subjected to obliquely horizontal, sinusoidal excitation are investigated theoretically and experimentally. Two predominant modes of sloshing are significantly coupled nonlinearly because their natural frequencies are nearly identical resulting in 1:1 internal resonance. Therefore, if only one of these modes is directly excited, the other mode is indirectly excited due to the nonlinear coupling. In the nonlinear theoretical analysis, the modal equations of motion are derived for the two predominant sloshing modes as well as five higher sloshing modes. The linear viscous terms are incorporated in order to consider the damping effect of sloshing. The expressions for the frequency response curves are determined using van der Pol’s method. The influences of the excitation direction and the aspect ratio of the tank cross-section on the frequency response curves are numerically examined. Planar and swirl motions of sloshing, and Hopf bifurcations followed by amplitude modulated motions including chaotic motions, are predicted when the excitation frequency is close to one of the natural frequencies of the two predominant sloshing modes. Lyapunov exponents are calculated and reveal the excitation frequency range over which liquid chaotic motions occur. In addition, bifurcation sets are shown to clarify the influences of the parameters on the change in the structural stability. The theoretically predicted results are in good agreement with the measured data, thus the theoretical analysis was experimentally validated.

The activity patterns of mammals are generally categorized as nocturnal, diurnal, crepuscular (active at twilight), and cathemeral (active throughout the day). These patterns are highly variable across regions and seasons even within the same species. However, quantitative data is still lacking, particularly for sympatric species. We monitored the seasonal and diel activity patterns of terrestrial mammals in Hokkaido, Japan. Through an intensive camera-trap survey a total of 13,279 capture events were recorded from eight mammals over 20,344 camera-trap days, i.e., two years. Diel activity patterns were clearly divided into four categories: diurnal (Eurasian red squirrels), nocturnal (raccoon dogs and raccoons), crepuscular (sika deer and mountain hares), and cathemeral (Japanese martens, red foxes, and brown bears). Some crepuscular and cathemeral mammals shifted activity peaks across seasons. Particularly, sika deer changed peaks from twilight during spring–autumn to day-time in winter, possibly because of thermal constraints. Japanese martens were cathemeral during winter–summer, but nocturnal in autumn. We found no clear indication of predator-prey and competitive interactions, suggesting that animal densities are not very high or temporal niche partitioning is absent among the target species. This long-term camera-trap survey was highly cost-effective and provided one of the most detailed seasonal and diel activity patterns in multiple sympatric mammals under natural conditions.

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The gene product of EFHC1 recently implicated in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) was found to be a homolog of Chlamydomonas axonemal protein Rib72, whose homologs are present in a wide variety of organisms that have motile cilia and flagella. Western blot analyses and immunofluorescence localization of the mouse ortholog mRib72-1/Efhc1 indicated that it is indeed abundantly present in sperm flagella and tracheal cilia but only in a small amount in the brain. It is not present in immotile primary cilia. These observations raise the possibility that malfunction of motile cilia is involved in the development of JME.

A homologue of mammalian PACRG was identified in Sarkosyl-extracted Chlamydomonas axonemes as a protein that may interact with Rib72 (a component of the protofilament ribbon within the outer doublet microtubules). PACRG is a protein whose expression is co-regulated with the Parkin gene implicated in Parkinson's disease. Although subsequent analyses did not confirm a Rib72-PACRG interaction, both proteins display similar localization in the axoneme. Immuno-localization of PACRG required pretreatment of the axoneme with Sarkosyl, suggesting that the antigen is buried in the wall of the microtubule. Indirect immunofluorescence localized PACRG to the entire length of the axoneme and the basal body, and immuno-electron microscopy showed that the PACRG antigen is densely distributed along the outer doublets in frayed axonemes. In thin-section images, the PACRG signals were frequently found between the A- and B-tubules of adjacent outer doublets. From these and other results, we propose that PACRG is a structural component of the doublet and triplet microtubules possibly involved in inter-tubule linkage.

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