The University of Electro-Communications 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585© 2015 The University of Electro-Communications.

Feature Fuel cells in the spotlight

News and Events
 UEC Optical Science group featured in APS TV video

Research Highlights
 Quantum optics: Understanding spectral properties of broadband biphotons
 Motor memory: the long and short of it Human Interface: Virtual robotization for human limbs

Topics Brain Science Inspired Life Support Research Center, UEC
 Developing strategies to counter cyber-attacks on industrial infrastructure High tech hydroponics: Fusing information technology with fifteen century approach to agriculture Letter from Alumni

The University of Electro-Communications 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585© 2015 The University of Electro-Communications.

Fuel cells in the spotlight
In-situ, dynamic X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy to demystify the
behavior of catalysts in fuel cells
Professor Yasuhiro Iwasawa, head, Innovation Research Center for Fuel Cells
In autumn 2014 Toyota Motor Corporation announced the start of the commercial sales of
the 'Toyota Mirai'--the world's first commercially available hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle.
"This announcement was the culmination of decades of research on polymer
electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs)," says Professor Yasuhiro Iwasawa, head of
the Innovation Research Center for Fuel Cells at the University of ElectroCommunications, Tokyo. "Toyota's hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is one
example of the potential applications of fuels cells for generating 'green
energy'. However, there is still a lot of fundamental research required inorder to benefit from the ultimate potential of PEFCs. In particular, ourunderstanding of the chemical reactions governing the generation ofelectricity from fuel cells is still incomplete. Specifically, the atomic

Real-time XAFS experiment forpolymer electrolyte fuel cells at
UEC/NEDO beamline BL36XU@SPring-8

structure, reactions mechanisms, and degradation mechanisms of fuel cell
catalysts are still a black box."
With this background, Iwasawa and colleagues have constructed a unique 80
meter beamline at the SPring-8 synchrotron facility at Harima Science Park
City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, as part of an approximately US$26 million
national NEDO project to develop X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS)
spectroscopy to probe the behavior of catalysts in fuel cell.
"Our XAFS beamline enables in-situ and real time measurements with hightime and spatial resolution, and importantly, under conditions used forLab. members near the
BL36XU hutches

operational fuel cells," explains Iwasawa. "Such XAFS measurements are
only possible with our beamline. It is truly unique."
Notably, the UEC-Tokyo SPring-8 XAFSs beamline (BL36XU) was built to study nanoparticle catalysts inthe cathode inside the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) during power generation. The beamline enables
time and spatial XAFS measurements with a time resolution of 100 microseconds, spatial resolution of 200
nm, and depth resolution of one micron [1].

The University of Electro-Communications 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585© 2015 The University of Electro-Communications.

Recent highlights of research being conducted by Iwasawa and colleagues includes
the direct mapping of the degradation of platinum (Pt) nanoparticle catalysts in PEFCs
by nano-XAFS with a beam size of 570 × 540 nm2 or 228 × 225 nm2 [2]. Morespecifically, the researchers, succeeded in the two-dimensional mapping of Pt species
in electrode catalyst membranes and in the identification of dissolved species andpreferential sites using the nano- XAFS with the highest spatial resolution reported todate. XAFS showed the selective oxidation and dissolution of the Pt nanoparticles as
four-coordinate Pt2+-O4 in the 2-3 μm region around the boundary between thecathode catalyst layer and the electrolyte membrane and around micro-crack
boundaries.

at Iwasawa lab. seminar"These findings are expected to enable engineers to design and develop 'experiment based knowledge'
electrode catalysts for the next generation of fuel cells for applications including cars and electricity
generation systems for homes," says Iwasawa. "We welcome researchers from all over the world to join us in
our research with our beamline at SPring-8 on in-situ analysis of PEFCs."
References[1] O. Sekizawa et al, J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 430, 012020, (2013).
doi:10.1088/1742-6596/430/1/012020[2] S. Takao, et al, Mapping Platinum Species in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells by Spatially Resolved XAFSTechniques, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 53, 14110 (2014).
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201408845
Further information
Iwasawa Laboratory: http://www.iwasawalab.pc.uec.ac.jp/index_eng.html
Innovation Research Center for Fuel Cells at the University of Electro-Communications,Tokyo: http://www.icfc.uec.ac.jp/index_eng.html

The University of Electro-Communications 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585© 2015 The University of Electro-Communications.

UEC Optical Science group featured in APS TV video
UEC Tokyo researchers invited to appear on APS TV at the American Physical Society Meeting, March 2015
San Antonio.
Scientists at UEC Tokyo are internationally acknowledged for their research in optical science. Examples of
excellence in optics include cold atoms, optical combs, high intensity lasers, and notably, the ceramic laser
was invented by researchers at UEC.
So it was not a surprise when Websedge, London, invited the Optical Science group at UEC to be featured in avideo to broadcast at the American Physical Society Meeting, March 2015, San Antonio. This invitation istimely, considering that 2015 is the International Year of Light.
Professor Shinichi Watanabe, Department of Engineering Science, UEC, was in charge of preparations for thevideo shoot in January 2015. The resulting video was shown at the APS conference and several hotels
associated with the conference, as shown in the photographs provided by Prof. FUSEYA Yuki, Division ofGeneral Education, UEC.

The full version of the video can be seen at the website below.
Optimal Optical Science, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo:
http://www.websedge.com/videos/aps_tv_2015/#/optimal_optical_science
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGVe6BxyFHNVCEd-X1a_mv0pVRuI4Z43z

The University of Electro-Communications 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585© 2015 The University of Electro-Communications.

Quantum optics: Understanding spectral properties of broadband biphotons
Advances in quantum optical technologies require scientists to control and exploit the properties of so-called
biphotons. Biphotons occur when two photons become 'quantum-entangled' - spatially separate entities whose
individual quantum states must be described with reference to each other. Biphotons of different wavelenths
can be created, with broadband biphotons particularly useful for quantum optics.
Now, Nandan Bisht and Ryosuke Shimizu at the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo, Japan, havesuccessfully generated broadband biphotons using a strong laser pulse beam shone through a so-called
PPMgSLT crystal, and examined their associated spectral properties and interference patterns.
This method of generating biphotons is known as spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC). Most
photons from the laser pass straight through the crystal. Occasionally random pairs of photons appear within
two defined cone-shaped trajectories - one cone comprising horizontally-polarized photons, the other carrying
vertically-polarized photons. At the point where the 'cones' meet, the photon pair trajectories exist
simultaneously and the photons become entangled, creating 'biphotons'. This technique allows scientists tocreate highly specific optical fields.
Previous attempts at generating broadband biphotons with thin crystals led to a loss of brightness in the
resulting optical field. Using the PPMgSLT crystal, Bisht and Shimizu successfully generated broadband
biphotons with a spectral width of over 40 nanometers. Their tests showed that the spectral properties of
biphotons appeared to be mainly determined by the spectral properties of the chosen laser pulse. The teamhope that properties of biphotons could be deliberately controlled to improve optical fields for future quantum
information and communication technologies.
Reference
1. Bisht, N.S. & Shimizu, R. Spectral properties of broadband biphotons generated from PPMgSLT under a
type-II phase-matching condition. Journal of the Optical Society of America 32 (4) (2015)

Researchers at the University of Electro-Communications have successfully generated broadband biphotons and examined theirspectral properties. Their insights may help create controllable optical fields for use in quantum information and communication
technologies.
The University of Electro-Communications 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585© 2015 The University of Electro-Communications.

Motor memory: the long and short of it
Recent studies of long-term motor memory have pointed out the involvement of synaptic plasticity at multiple
sites in the cerebellum, but the physiological mechanism remains unclear. Now results from a collaboration ofresearchers at the University of Electro-Communications and the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan, andthe University of California, San Diego, in the US, successfully integrated the multiple plasticity mechanisms
to explain the formation of long-term motor memory using simulations based on a mathematical model.
Until recently motor memory was widely considered the result of 'long-term depression' - a state of reduced
efficacy following a stimulus - in the synapses at output neurons in the cerebellum called Purkinje cells.
Yamazaki and colleagues developed a model for the optokinetic response (OKR) in eye movement thatincorporated long-term potentiation - a state of increased efficacy following a stimulus - in the synapses atvestibular nuclear neurons. Thus, the model incorporates two distinct plasticity sites that functionsynergistically.
The model accurately reproduced experimental results. It showed that an hour's training resulted in a shortterm increase of OKR gain, for which long-term depression at the Purkinje cells are responsible. Repetition ofthis training once a day gradually increased the level of OKR gain after training rather than during it, forwhich long-term potentiation at the vestibular nucleus neurons are responsible.
"It thus appears as if short-term memory formed in the Purkinje cells during 1-hour training is transferred to
the vestibular nuclear neuron after training to consolidate as long-term memory," concluded the researchers.
Their model also reproduced characteristics of the OKR behaviour observed in genetically manipulated mice.
Reference
Yamazaki T, Nagao S, Lennon W and Tanaka S Modeling memory consolidation during posttraining periods
in cerebellovestibular learning PNAS 112(11): 3541-3546 (2015)
doi: 10.1073/pnas.1413798112

Diagram of the cerebellar network. The elements depicted are MF: mossy fibre; GR: granule cells; MLI: molecular layerinterneurons; PC: Purkinje cell; VN: vestibular nuclear neuron; and CF: climbing fibre. The weights w and v at PF-PC and MF-VN
synapses respectively were modelled to change with time, whereas the weight wMLI at PF-MLI synapses was set to be a constant.
The University of Electro-Communications 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585© 2015 The University of Electro-Communications.

Human Interface: Virtual robotization for human limbs
Recent advances in computer gaming technology allow for an increasingly immersive gaming experience.
Gesture input devices, for example, synchronise a player's actions with the character on the screen.
Entertainment systems now use special haptic displays - these are attached to the player's body to provide socalled 'vibrotactile feedback', synthesizing the feeling of being attacked during combat games, for example.
A new virtual reality robotization gaming system called Jointonation, developed by Hiroyuki Kajimoto at the
University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo and co-workers, has taken gaming to a new level by allowing
the player to discover what it feels like to become a robot. The robotic simulation uses a combination ofvisual, auditory and tactile sensations to 'transform' the player's arms and legs into metallic limbs.
Vibrotactile feedback makes use of sensory receptors in the skin which respond to mechanical stimuli such aspressure and distortion. By triggering a certain response to sensations, it is possible to 'fool' the brain into
thinking these sensations are real. Kajimoto and his team synchronized the limb movements of an on-screen
robot with the player's three-dimensional limb movements. They then used modelled vibration data recorded
from the arm joint of an industrial robot, combined with robotic sound recordings, to simulate the feeling ofrobotic limbs via vibrators attached to the player's elbows and knees.
Trials of Jointonation proved a great success, with the combination of visual, auditory and haptic sensations
providing very effective 'robot-like' feelings in players' limbs.
Reference
1. Kurihara, Y., Takei, S., Nakai, Y., Hachisu, T., Kuchenbecker, K.J. & Kajimoto, H. Haptic robotization of
the human body by data-driven vibrotactile feedback. Entertainment Computing 10 (2014)

Researchers at the University of Electro-Communications have successfully developed a robotization game system called
Jointonation capable of simulating what it is like to have robotic limbs. The system could pave the way for a new, immersive
computer gaming environment.
The University of Electro-Communications 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585© 2015 The University of Electro-Communications.

Brain Science Inspired Life Support Research Center, UEC
Brain Science Inspired Life Support Research Center was established in May 2013 as an interdisciplinary
research institute with the mission of helping people to live peacefully in an aged society. "The BLSC was set
up based on UEC's philosophy of 'comprehensive communication sciences', says Shigeru Tanaka, Specially
Appointed Professor Office of Comprehensive Communication Sciences Initiatives. "Our Center has
specialists from a wide range research areas including brain science, informatics, robotics, and optics.
Research staff include Yoichi Miyawaki, a tenure track associate professor who is conducting experiments on
sensory information processing of the brain using functional MRI and EEG measurement systems."
A major goal of the BLSC is to devise 'innovative technologies' to assist the elderly with cognitive andphysical difficulties by facilitating students from a diverse range of backgrounds with the appropriate
interdisciplinary skills for the challenges ahead.
Highlights of programs at the BLSC
The BLSC was established to nurturing experts capable of initiatinginterdisciplinary solutions to some daunting issues on health and welfare in anaged society. With this goal in mind, the 'hands on lecture course' is one of theflagship projects being pursued at the BLSC. "This course is aimed at
nurturing human resources to tackle the issues of our superaged society to
improve the quality of life," says Haruki Niwa, Specially Appointed Professor
at the BLSC. "I am working with colleagues including another Specially
Appointed Professor Yukio Yamada and Dr Soichiro Morishita on running
this course for graduate school students. One of the most challenging

Discussion on how to improve
artificial hands created by athree-dimensional printer atProfessor Yokoi's lab

experiments for students is solving of an inverse problem, in which students
determine the position of a bioluminescent light source placed in a phantom, a model of animal body. The
bioluminescent light is made by firefly luciferase and a rationally designed probes, which is my specialty."
The students learn about the functions of human organs such as brain, ears and muscles with lectures andexperiments designed by UEC specialists in optics (optical probes, optical imaging technology, andmultidimensional image analysis to elucidate the plasticity, self-recovery, and regeneration of function by thebrain); in-vivo brain functions (measurement of the response of individual cells under external stimuli, brain
imaging related to motor functions, and brain machine interface (BMI) to control and monitor the brain;measurements of motor functions of the brain to develop technology to control and rehabilitate brain
functions. This 'hands on course' is financed by MEXT as part of the New Human Resource Development
Programs Supporting Super aged Societies with Brain Science Inspired Life Support Innovation (2012-2017).

The University of Electro-Communications 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585© 2015 The University of Electro-Communications.

Further information
1. Brain Science Inspired Life Support Research Center:
http://www.uec.ac.jp/eng/research/researchcenters/blsc.html
2. Shigeru Tanaka Lab: http://tanaka-lab.net/
3. Yoichi Miyawaki Lab: http://www.cns.mi.uec.ac.jp/index.html

Bioluminescence imaging of subcutaneous tumor expressing firefly luciferase after injection of AkaLumine or D-luciferin (equal
molar quantity). Akalumine (right) is more effective against imaging of deep site than D-luciferin (left). Photos by Takahiro
Kuchimaru and Shinae Kizaka-Kondoh ( graduate school of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology).

The University of Electro-Communications 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585© 2015 The University of Electro-Communications.

Developing strategies to counter cyber-attacks on industrial infrastructure
Cyber-attacks, computer viruses, and hacking are terms synonymous with unapproved
access of computer systems managed by banks and national security organizations.
However, such ‘cyberattacks’ have recently been directed at factories andmanufacturing plants, power stations, and even water purification facilities.
“The proliferation of factory automation based on computer networks connected tothe internet has led to a dramatic increase in malicious cyber-attacks on such
facilities,” says Professor Seiichi Shin, at Department of Mechanical Engineering
and Intelligent Systems, University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo. “A criticalchange in the pattern of cyberattacks was seen with the Stuxnet computer worm
attack on a nuclear power plant in 2010. This incident and the massive damage

Professor Seiichi Shin,Control System Program
Department of MechanicalEngineering and Intelligent
Systemscaused by the Great Tohoku Earthquake on 11 March 2011 led to the Japanese
Government to establishment the ‘Control System Security Center’ (CSSC) in 2012. I
am the president of the CSSC and UEC is the base for our activities.”
Notably, in contrast to governmental cyber security groups in the USA and EU that aremanaged by national defense organizations, the majority of the 30 members of the
CSSC are industrialists from Japan’s top-tier private companies. “The members share
information without compromising know-how and intellectual property rights,”
says Shin. “The key in our strategy is to mix our knowledge of information andcontrol systems. This is crucial because attacks on manufacturing plants use theinformation networks to disrupt production processes. So the CSSC has experts

Associate Professor Kenji
Sawada, Control System
Program
Info-Powered Energy System
Research Centerfrom both technology sectors. ”
Kenji Sawada, associate professor at the Info-Powered Energy System Research Center, at UEC Tokyo, is amember of the Shin Group, and is responsible for developing models for countering cyberattacks on criticalmanufacturing facilities of factories. “Our models are based on risk assessment analysis,” says Sawada.
“Recently I worked with graduate school student Mr Tsubasa Sakaki on the construction of an actual model tosimulate a cyberattack on the production line of a factory.”
The model separates heavy (golf balls) and light (table tennis balls) balls on a conveyer belt and simulates asimple defective discriminator. In the simulation, a virus takes control of actuators and creates havoc with thesorting process. A potentially hazardous situation is detected by comparing the model behavior with the actual
behavior and averted by removing control from the remote controller (connected to the internet via Windows
software) to a local ‘micon’ based controller that is not connected to the internet. Such the strategy is named
as model-based fallback control.

The University of Electro-Communications 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585© 2015 The University of Electro-Communications.

“Monitoring and preventing cyberattacks in industrial facilities is an important aspect of the increasinglyinterconnected world,” says Shin. “Ordinary households are also vulnerable. So called ‘smart meters’ formonitoring power consumption and security systems are linked to the internet. Our research at UEC and theControl System Security Center is also aimed at mitigating attacks on such systems for the peace of mind ofresidents of Japan.”Prototype fallback control system with simple
defective discriminator.

Mr. Sasaki checks the control logic.

References
Seiichi Shin, A status of Control System Security in Japan, The 10th Asian Control Conference 2015, May
31th – June 3rd, 2015.
Kenji Sawada, Tsubasa Sasaki, Seiichi Shin, Shu Hosokawa, A Fallback Control Study of Networked Control
Systems for Cybersecurity, The 10th Asian Control Conference 2015, May 31th – June 3rd, 2015.
Websites: http://www.shinlab.mi.uec.ac.jp/

The University of Electro-Communications 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585© 2015 The University of Electro-Communications.

High tech hydroponics: Fusing information technology with fifteen century
approach to agriculture
Professor Akashi Satoh, Department of Communication Engineering and Informatics,
Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, University of Electro-Communications,Tokyo.
Reports on 'hydroponics'--growing plants in aqueous media without soil--can be traced
back to the early 1600s. Research shows that plants with their roots in liquid media areable to absorb nutrients more efficiently than those planted in soil. So careful control of the pH and othernutritional aspects of the liquids into which the roots are 'dipped' enables the growth of a wide variety ofplants without relying on the weather and even in mega-cities such as Tokyo.
Now, Professor Akashi Satoh, at the Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, UEC, Tokyo, is using
his expertise in the development of high-performance VLSI circuits to give a high tech flavor to thehydroponics.
"The Japanese market for indoor plant factories is estimated to be about 150 billion Yen in 2025," explains
Satoh. "The share of indoor plant factories relying on totally artificial light will be approximately 44.3billion
Yen. Some major reasons for the increasing interest in hydroponics is that the growth of plants is not affectedby the weather and it is possible to carefully control of the quality and safety of the final products, including
producing low potassium plants for people suffering from certain illnesses."
Satoh is collaborating with industrial partners to not only grow plants such as strawberries and tomatoes byhydroponics, but to do so on the roofs of skyscrapers in Tokyo. "We want to use hydroponics for capturing
carbon dioxide to contribute to efforts to reduce greenhouse gases," says Satoh. "This project will require
mixing expertise in engineering with that of agriculture. I am confident that we will be able to succeed inachieving our goals. "Further information
Home page: http://satoh.cs.uec.ac.jp/en/index.html

The University of Electro-Communications 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585© 2015 The University of Electro-Communications.

Prototypes of hydroponic machine: Sunlight type (left) and artificial light type (right).

The University of Electro-Communications 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585© 2015 The University of Electro-Communications.

Letter from Alumni
Shakeel Ahmed, Assistant Professor at Department of Electrical Engineering, Pakistan Institute ofEngineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad, Pakistan.
After spending almost four years of my life in Japan, from April 26,
2011 to March 03, 2015, I feel like Japan is my second home. I was
selected by the embassy of Japan in Pakistan for Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
Research Scholarships 2011. Before coming to Japan I wasworking as a Lecturer in Department of Electrical Engineering,
PIEAS, Islamabad, Pakistan.
In Japan, I did research on Acoustic Noise Cancellation. During
my stay in Japan I have attended international conferences topresent my research work. The research work at the University of

Dr. Shakeel Ahmed, assistant professor at
Department of Electrical Engineering,
Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied
Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad, Pakistan.

Electro-Communications (UEC) resulted in two journal
publications one published in the journal of IEEE Transactions on Audio Speech and Language Processing
and second published in Journal of IET. All this happened because of the friendly research environment in
Prof. Zhang Lab. I will definitely miss the time that I spent with my Lab mates from Prof. Wataru MitsuhashiLab., Prof. Zhang Lab, and Prof. Yoshikazu Washizawa Lab.
Now that I have graduated from Prof. Zhang Lab, Department of Communication Engineering andInformatics, UEC, as a PhD student, I have re-joined the Department of Electrical Engineering, PIEAS,
Islamabad Pakistan. Now I am a member of Signal Processing research group at PIEAS. I am hopeful that I
will use the research skills that I developed at UEC for the research in the area of signal processing at myhome institution in Pakistan.
The UEC is really a unique and exciting campus. I am thankful to UEC staff and the faculty members for theirvaluable support and help that made my stay in Japan one of the best period of my life. I will definitely try mybest to have some platform to build a research collaboration between UEC and my home institution in
Pakistan. I will conclude with the following few words. My love for UEC and for Japan will remain foreverand I wish that I could visit Japan again and again for research collaboration and to meet my friends andteachers.

The University of Electro-Communications 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585© 2015 The University of Electro-Communications.

The University of Electro-Communications (UEC) in Tokyo
is a small, luminous university at the forefront of applied sciences, engineering, and technology
research. Its roots go back to the Technical Institute for Wireless Commutations, which wasestablished in 1918 by the Wireless Association to train so-called wireless engineers in maritime
communications in response to the Titanic disaster in 1912. In 1949, the UEC was established as anational university by the Japanese Ministry of Education, and moved in 1957 from Meguro to its
current Chofu campus Tokyo.
With approximately 4,000 students and 350 faculty, UEC is regarded as a small university, but withparticular expertise in wireless communications, laser science, robotics, informatics, and materialscience, to name just a few areas of research.
The UEC was selected for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
Program for Promoting the Enhancement of Research Universities as a result of its strengths in threemain areas: optics and photonics research, where we are number one for the number of joint
publications with foreign researchers; wireless communications, which reflects our roots; andmaterials-based research, particularly on fuel cells.
International Public Relations
The University of Electro-Communications
1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585
E-mail : kokusai-k@office.uec.ac.jp
Website : http://www.uec.ac.jp/eng/

The University of Electro-Communications 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585© 2015 The University of Electro-Communications.