Microscopy and biomimetics: the NanoSuit® method and image retrieval platform.

This review aims to clarify a suitable method towards achieving next-generation sustainability. As represented by the term 'Anthropocene', the Earth, including humans, is entering a critical era; therefore, science has a great responsibility to solve it. Biomimetics, the emulation of the models, systems and elements of nature, especially biological science, is a powerful tool to approach sustainability problems. Microscopy has made great progress with the technology of observing biological and artificial materials and its techniques have been continuously improved, most recently through the NanoSuit® method. As one of the most important tools across many facets of research and development, microscopy has produced a large amount of accumulated digital data. However, it is difficult to extract useful data for making things as biomimetic ideas despite a large amount of biological data. Here, we would like to find a way to organically connect the indispensable microscopic data with the new biomimetics to solve complex human problems.

Japanese style management in eras of change: new management model.

Changes in technologies and markets are issues for all global companies. Japanese companies also face difficulties in eras of change. There is a need for paradigm shifts in management style. This paper will look at four case studies of major global companies and analyze the concept of the hybrid approach. It looks at how western and Japanese ways of thinking and methods can be combined to create a new model. The new Japanese model proposes a basic framework on which customization and improvement can be carried out.

Raman Spectroscopic Study on Phosphorous-Doped Silicon Nanoparticles.

The Raman spectra of films prepared from 8, 19, and 30 nm nanoparticles of silicon doped with phosphorous were measured with excitation at 514.5 nm. The observed spectra were analyzed by decomposing the observed Raman bands into three symmetric Voigt function bands, which were assigned to the Si-Si stretching modes of crystalline, boundary, and amorphous-like components. The fractions of crystalline, boundary, and amorphous-like regions were estimated from the obtained components. The obtained fractions can be explained as a sphere-like nanoparticle consisting of a crystalline core surrounded with boundary and amorphous-like shells, which is consistent with the transmission electron microscope images showing a sphere-like shape. The observed spectral shape of the 8 nm nanoparticle film showed significant changes upon light irradiation with a power density of 5.5 kW cm(-2), i.e., the amorphous-like region converted to a crystalline one. The temperature of the film under laser irradiation was estimated to be lower than 1041 °C from the anti-Stokes to the Stokes Raman bands due to the Si-Si stretching mode. The observed partial crystallization is probably induced by heating associated with light irradiation.