Heat transfer performance of a flexible looped heat pipe using R134a as a working fluid: Proposal for a method to predict the maximum heat transfer rate of FLHP

This paper presents the heat transfer performance of a Flexible Looped Heat Pipe (FLHP) using R134a as a working fluid. In our evaluation system, an evaporator and a condenser are connected by long flexible tubes with a diameter of 3 mm, and the total piping length of this looped heat pipe system is approximately 7500 mm. We selected porous Teflon with an effective pore diameter of 2r_cw = 1.2 µm to overcome high gravitational heads. Elevation of the evaporator above the condenser ΔH = H_e ? H_c) was changed in three conditions [ Top heat mode (ΔH = +1 m), Horizontal mode (ΔH = 0), Bottom heat mode (ΔH = ?1 m)] considering the terrestrial application and the influence of gravity on the FLHP performance was investigated. FLHP provided high thermal transport capacities over long distances through small cross‐sectional flexible tubes compared with conventional heat pipes. We also proposed an analysis method to predict the maximum heat transfer rate of FLHP. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 32(4): 306–318, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.10093     

Ductile-regime turning mechanism of single-crystal silicon

Diamond turning of single-crystal silicon was carried out along all the crystallographic directions on the (001) and (111) planes at depths of cut of 100 nm and 1 μm, and then the mechanism involved in ductile-regime turning was studied. Pitting damage occurred along certain specific crystallographic orientations. The crystallographic orientation dependence of the surface features also changed with the depth of cut because of the difference in material removal mechanism between plastic deformation and brittle fracture. Transmission electron microscopy characterizations of the (111)(110) slip systems activated by turning revealed that the orientation dependence of the surface features was closely related to the ease with which slip deformation occurred. To predict the surface features turned along each crystallographic orientation, we proposed the slip orientation factor, which was determined from the Schmid factor, and demonstrated that it was useful for turning in the critical regime between ductile and brittle. Our slip model, based on the slip orientation factor, describes the ductile-regime turning mechanism well.     

Effects of amla extract and collagen peptide on UVB-induced photoaging in hairless mice

Amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) is a rich dietary source of vitamin C, minerals and amino acids, and also contains a wide variety of phenolic compounds. Amla has also been used as a principal constituent of many preparations of Ayurved, the Indian system of traditional medicine. Gelatin hydrolysate, also known as collagen peptide as a functional ingredient, is obtained from animal hide or fish scales. Ingestion of gelatin or collagen peptide affects various functions of the body, including bone, the achilles tendon, and skin. However, there are few data on the effects of amla extract and collagen peptide on photoaging in vivo. In the present study, therefore, we administered amla extract and/or collagen peptide to hairless mice that were repeatedly exposed of UVB irradiation, and examined the resulting effects on photoaging. Amla extract and collagen peptide suppressed the formation of 8-OHdG-positive cells and epidermal hyperplasia, and controlled skin hydration, thus reducing skin wrinkle formation in the mice. Collagen peptide, but not amla extract, also enhanced the production of collagen. We demonstrated that amla extract and collagen peptide exerted an additive effect in ameliorating skin dehydration and wrinkle formation, suggesting that they were able to attenuate photoaging effectively in UVB-irradiated hairless mice.     

A 17-ns 4-Mb CMOS DRAM

A 17-ns nonaddress-multiplexed 4-Mb dynamic RAM (DRAM) fabricated with a pure CMOS process is described. The speed limitations of the conventional DRAM sensing technique are discussed, and the advantages of using the direct bit-line sensing technique are explained. A direct bit-line sensing technique with a two-stage amplifier is described. One readout amplifier is composed of a two-stage current-mirror amplifier and a selected readout amplifier is activated by a column decoder output before the selected word line rises. The amplifier then detects a small bit-line signal appearing on a bit-line pair immediately after the word-line rise. This two-stage amplification scheme is essential to improving access time, especially in the case of a CMOS process. The high sensitivity of the readout amplifier is discussed, and the electrical features and characteristics of the fabricated DRAM are reported     

Role of nitric oxide in regulation of brain stem circulation during hypotension

We tested the hypothesis that nitric oxide (NO) plays a role in CBF autoregulation in the brain stem during hypotension. In anesthetized rats, local CBF to the brain stem was determined with laser-Doppler flowmetry, and diameters of the basilar artery and its branches were measured through an open cranial window during stepwise hemorrhagic hypotension. During topical application of 10(-5) mol/L and 10(-4) mol/L N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA), a nonselective inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), CBF started to decrease at higher steps of mean arterial blood pressure in proportion to the concentration of L-NNA in stepwise hypotension (45 to 60 mm Hg in the 10(-5) mol/L and 60 to 75 mm Hg in the 10(-4) mol/L L-NNA group versus 30 to 45 mm Hg in the control group). Dilator response of the basilar artery to severe hypotension was significantly attenuated by topical application of L-NNA (maximum dilatation at 30 mm Hg: 16 +/- 8% in the 10(-5) mol/L and 12 +/- 5% in the 10(-4) mol/L L-NNA group versus 34 +/- 4% in the control group), but that of the branches was similar between the control and L-NNA groups. Topical application of 10(-5) mol/L 7-nitro indazole, a selective inhibitor of neuronal NOS, did not affect changes in CBF or vessel diameter through the entire pressure range. Thus, endothelial but not neuronal NO seems to take part in the regulation of CBF to the the brain stem during hypotension around the lower limits of CBF autoregulation. The role of NO in mediating dilatation in response to hypotension appears to be greater in large arteries than in small ones.     

Study on static and fatigue strength of structural adhesive-bonded joints of steel sheets for automotive application

The static and fatigue strength of crush durable structural adhesive-bonded lap joints of steel sheets for automobiles was evaluated by tensile shear tests. The steel sheets used in this study were uncoated and galvannealed (GA) with tensile strength ranging from 270 MPa-grade to 980 MPa-grade and the thickness ranging from 0.7 to 1.8 mm. Also, the effects of the adhesive types were evaluated. The results are as follows: In the static tensile shear tests, when the steel sheets deformed during the tensile test, the tensile shear strength increased with the increase in the base metal properties, such as the yield strength and thickness; however, when the base metal properties were sufficiently high not to undergo plastic deformation, the tensile shear strength exhibited a constant value. On the other hand, the effect of base metal properties on the fatigue joint strength was relatively small. The static joint strength of the GA steel joints was slightly lower than that of the uncoated steel sheets; however, the fatigue strength of the GA steel joints was higher than that of the uncoated steel sheets. The coating failure of the GA was affected by the type of adhesive, base metal properties and type of test. Choosing the proper adhesive can reduce the failure of the GA coating, and the high strength steel showed fewer coating failures than the mild steel.     

Development of the models for advection-diffusion of eroded concrete into debris and concrete volume reduction in molten core-concrete interactions

Models for the three-dimensional (3D) advection, diffusion, and volume reduction of eroded concrete into molten core are being developed. As part of the assessment of the reactor interior at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, analytical models of molten core–concrete interaction (MCCI) to predict locations and condition of molten core (debris) have been improved in the debris spreading analysis (DSA) module of the severe accident analysis code SAMPSON. In addition to the primary model for 3D natural convection with simultaneous spreading, melting, and solidification in an open space, the analysis model to treat phenomena in a closed space, such as debris eroding laterally under concrete floors at the bottom of the sump pits, had been improved. This modeling with practical applicability is referred to as the full-3D MCCI model. This paper presents modeling of the advection and diffusion of eroded concrete into debris melt and calculation processes that were installed for simulating volume reduction when concrete decomposed. They were developed and incorporated into the full-3D MCCI model. The advanced DSA module with the models noted above was validated using MCCI test data. The calculated erosion rates agreed with the test data within a margin of about 16%.     

Development of a short-term emergency assessment system of the marine environmental radioactivity around Japan*

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has, for many years, been developing a radionuclide dispersion model for the ocean, and has validated the model through application in many sea areas using oceanic flow fields calculated by the oceanic circulation model. The Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station accident caused marine pollution by artificial radioactive materials to the North Pacific, especially to coastal waters northeast of mainland Japan. In order to investigate the migration of radionuclides in the ocean caused by this severe accident, studies using marine dispersion simulations have been carried out by JAEA. Based on these as well as the previous studies, JAEA has developed the Short-Term Emergency Assessment system of Marine Environmental Radioactivity (STEAMER) to immediately predict the radionuclide concentration around Japan in case of a nuclear accident. Coupling the STEAMER with the emergency atmospheric dispersion prediction system, such as Worldwide version of System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency Dose Information version II (WSPEEDI-II), enables comprehensive environmental pollution prediction both in air and the ocean.     

Localization of D-��-Aspartyl Residue-Containing Proteins in Various Tissues

Prior to the emergence of life, it is believed that only l-amino acids were selected for formation of protein and that d-amino acids were eliminated on the primitive Earth. Whilst homochirality is essential for life, the occurrence of proteins containing d-β-aspartyl (Asp) residues in various tissues from elderly subjects has been reported recently. Here, we demonstrate the presence of a d-β-Asp-containing protein in the cardiac muscle of heart, blood vessels of the lung, chief cells of the stomach, longitudinal and circular muscle of the stomach, small intestine and large intestine. Since the d-β-Asp residue occurs through a succinimide intermediate, this isomer may potentially be generated in proteins more easily than initially thought. Formation of the d-β-Asp residue in proteins may be related to stress.