New UV-curable primary coating material for optical fibre

A new UV-curable primary coating material, polybutadiene acrylate (PBA), has been developed. The new acrylate has much lower modulus at low temperature than epoxy and urethane acrylates. The transmission loss increase at low temperature for coated fibres is related to the modulus value for coatings.     

Straight-line soliton data transmission at 20 Gbit/s beyondGordon-Haus limit

Soliton data signals at 20 Gbit/s have been successfully transmitted over 3000 km with the use of soliton control by synchronous modulation and optical filters. The installation of only one simple modulator makes it possible to extend the maximum transmission distance from 2300 km (without soliton control) to 3000 km which is clearly beyond the Gordon-Haus limit     

Dynamic optical soliton communication

Digitally coded optical solitons at 5 and 10 Gb/s have been successfully transmitted over 400 and 300 km, respectively, using erbium-doped fiber amplifiers and repeaters. The soliton pulse source is a gain-switched distributed-feedback laser diode with spectral windowing. The repeater spacing for the 10-Gb/s transmission with an input soliton of A=1.4 is 25 km, which is extended to 50 km for 5-Gb/s transmission with an input soliton of N=1.8-2.0     

An experimental study on rewetting phenomena in transient conditions of bwrs

It is known that rod temperature rise after boiling transition (BT) is not excursive and that the peak cladding temperature (PCT) is suppressed by rewetting to return to nucleate boiling, even if BT occurs under severe conditions exceeding abnormal operational transients for a BWR. The purpose of this study is to develop and verify the rewetting correlation. The rewetting correlation was developed based on single rod data, as a function of quality, mass flux, pressure and heat flux. The transient thermal-hydraulic code used in the BWR design analysis (SCAT) with this rewetting correlation was compared with transient rod temperature result after the occurence of BT obtianed by the 8×8 and 4×4 rod bundle. It is concluded that the transient code with the developed rewetting correlation predicts the PCT conservatively, and the rewetting time well.     

Preservation of Scallop Adductor Muscle in Oxygenated Artificial Seawater

ABSTRACT: Adductor muscles dissected from live scallops ( Patinopecten yessoensis ) were preserved in artificial seawater containing various concentrations of dissolved oxygen at 5°C. The period over that the initial ATP level was maintained decreased with a decrease in oxygen concentration. The K-value, an index of freshness, rose markedly after ATP levels and energy charge decreased. Muscle contraction occurred after 4 to 5 d in 1.0 m M oxygen or after 3 d in 0.07 m M oxygen. Sodium azide and 2,4-dinitrophenol accelerated the decrease in ATP, even in oxygenated seawater. These results suggest that enough oxygen to support aerobic respiration is required to preserve adductor muscles in a vital state for a relatively long period.     

Standardizations of clinical laboratory examinations in Japan

In this paper we introduce Japanese activities concerning laboratory examinations by illustrating three major categories. The first is the contribution of JCCLS to ISO/TC212 clinical laboratory testing and in vitro diagnostic test systems, with NCCLS and CEN TC140. The second is the establishment and promotion of JLAC Classification and Coding for Clinical Laboratory Tests by The Japan Society of Clinical Pathology. The third is a clinical data exchange format between healthcare facilities using MML/MERIT-9 standard, started as a Ministry research project.     

Deposit remediation in coal-fired gas turbines through the use of additives

Deposit formation represents a key impediment to the eventual commercialization of a direct coal-fired gas turbine engine. Deposits result from the thermal decomposition of coal-borne mineral matter followed by impact and adhesion along the hot gas pathway. One strategy for deposit abatement is hot gas cleanup to remove particulate before entering the turbine. An alternative strategy, described in this article, is to modify the mineral matter/ash chemistry to render it non-adherent through the use of additives. In this way, the complexity and expense of hot gas cleanup is obviated. To date, alumina, boehmite, and a variety of kaolin clay additives have been tested in a coal-water mixed fired gas turbine simulator. A washed kaolin clay has proved to be most effective in reducing airfoil deposition. A mechanism involving in situ slag decomposition, crystallization, and spontaneous spalling is proposed.     

Fiber-optic nonlinear coherent coupler

A new type of fiber-optic nonlinear coherent coupler consisting of a low-birefringence fiber and a fiber-optic polarization beam splitter is proposed. The principle of operation is based on nonlinear polarization change in the low-birefringence fiber. The characteristics of the fiber coupler are analyzed using the Stokes parameters formalism on the Poincaré sphere. The coupler is shown to be capable of acting as an intensity discriminator, pulse reshaper, and all-optical gate.