Behaviour of chromium steels in liquid Pb-55.5Bi with changing oxygen content and temperature

The behaviour of protective oxide layers on P122 steel and its welds and of ODS steel in liquid Pb_44.5Bi_55.5 (LBE) is examined under conditions of changing temperatures and oxygen concentrations. P122 (12Cr) and its welded joints are exposed to LBE at 550 °C for 4000 h with oxygen concentrations of 10⁻⁶ and 10⁻⁸ wt% (p(O₂) = 8.1 × 10⁻²³ bar and 5.2 × 10⁻²⁷ bar) which change every 800 h. It is found that like in case of constant oxygen concentration of 10⁻⁶ wt% a protective spinel layer (Fe(Fe_1−xCr_x)₂O₄) was maintained on P122 and also on its welded joint. Two experiments with exposure times of 4800 h are conducted on ODS steel, both with temperatures changing from 550 to 650 °C and back every 800 h, one experiment with 10⁻⁶ the other with 10⁻⁸ wt% oxygen in LBE. Both experiments show strong local dissolution attack after 4800 h which is in agreement with the behaviour of ODS in LBE at a constant temperature of 650 °C. However, dissolution attack is less in LBE with 10⁻⁸ wt% oxygen (p(O₂) = 3.0 × 10⁻²⁵ bar).     

Statistical Learning for Humanoid Robots

The complexity of the kinematic and dynamic structure of humanoid robots make conventional analytical approaches to control increasingly unsuitable for such systems. Learning techniques offer a possible way to aid controller design if insufficient analytical knowledge is available, and learning approaches seem mandatory when humanoid systems are supposed to become completely autonomous. While recent research in neural networks and statistical learning has focused mostly on learning from finite data sets without stringent constraints on computational efficiency, learning for humanoid robots requires a different setting, characterized by the need for real-time learning performance from an essentially infinite stream of incrementally arriving data. This paper demonstrates how even high-dimensional learning problems of this kind can successfully be dealt with by techniques from nonparametric regression and locally weighted learning. As an example, we describe the application of one of the most advanced of such algorithms, Locally Weighted Projection Regression (LWPR), to the on-line learning of three problems in humanoid motor control: the learning of inverse dynamics models for model-based control, the learning of inverse kinematics of redundant manipulators, and the learning of oculomotor reflexes. All these examples demonstrate fast, i.e., within seconds or minutes, learning convergence with highly accurate final peformance. We conclude that real-time learning for complex motor system like humanoid robots is possible with appropriately tailored algorithms, such that increasingly autonomous robots with massive learning abilities should be achievable in the near future.     

P3a of event-related potential in chronic methamphetamine dependence

To investigate the psychophysiological features of methamphetamine (MAP) dependence, we recorded auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) in 15 patients with MAP dependence and in 15 age-matched normal controls. ERPs were recorded during a standard oddball task and a read task similar to those employed by Squires et al. (Squires NK, Squires KC, Hillyard SA [1975] Two varieties of long-latency positive waves evoked by unpredictable auditory stimuli in man. Electroenceph Clin Neurophysiol 38:387-401). The patients with MAP dependence showed reduced P3a amplitude and area in the read task and delayed P3b latency with normal P3b amplitude and area in the oddball task. These results suggest that central noradrenergic dysregulation may persist after the remission of acute psychotic symptoms in MAP psychosis and that chronic MAP dependence would produce impairment of the frontal cortex.     

Immunohistochemical study of calpain-mediated alpha-crystallin proteolysis in the UPL rat hereditary cataract

The purpose of this study is to examine if microencapsulated PC12 cells may provide long term effects to the hemiparkinsonian rats. A modified technique was used to encapsulate PC12 cells into gelled microspheres. We found that the PC12 cells can survive in the modified microcapsules in vitro. Most of the PC12 cells formed cluster 3 weeks after incubation. The PC12 cell-loaded microcapsules were also examined in vitro. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats, anesthetized with chloral hydrate, were injected unilaterally with 6-hydroxydopamine into the medial forebrain bundle. The effectiveness of this lesion was tested by measuring apomorphine or methamphetamine-induced rotation one month after lesioning. The unilaterally lesioned rats were transplanted with microencapsulated PC12 cells. Results showed that apomorphine and methamphetamine-induced rotations were greatly suppressed after transplantation. One year after the grafting, the animals were anesthetized with urethane for the voltammetric study. Low dose of KCl was directly injected into the grafted striatum through pressure microejection. We found that KCl-induced DA release, as measured by voltammetric techniques, was regenerated in the striatum. The animals were later sacrificed for histological examination. We found that capsules were present in the lesioned striatum one year after grafting. Most of the capsules contained no PC12 cell. However, some capsules were filled entirely with PC12 cells. Taken together, our data suggested that PC12 cells can survive in the capsule in vitro and may provide long-term dopaminergic effects to the hemiparkinsonian rats.     

Drug-induced pneumonitis caused by sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim during treatment of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in a patient with refractory ulcerative colitis

We recently treated a patient with intractable ulcerative colitis complicated with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in whom sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim caused pneumonitis. The pneumonitis was difficult to differentiate from worsening of the infection or the appearance of another opportunistic infection. The patient's history of sulfasalazine (sulfonamide)-induced pneumonitis made diagnosis possible. The CD4/CD8 ratio of lymphocyte subsets in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was decreased at the diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and this ratio had increased when drug-induced pneumonitis was diagnosed. Topical administration of beclomethasone dipropionate by enema was a safe and effective for the treatment of such a compromised patient with active colitis.     

Distribution of double bonds in thermally degraded polyisobutylene

The distribution of double bonds in thermally degraded polyisobutylene was determined quantitatively by using pulsed Fourier transform ¹H n.m.r. spectroscopic analysis. The double bonds in the degraded polymer did not exist in the interior but at the terminal positions of the polymer chain. These olefins were of the terminal trisubstituted and terminal vinylidene types. The content of the former was much greater than that of the latter. This shows that radical chain transfer predominantly occurs at the methylene hydrogen rather than at the methyl groups of the polymer chain. The average number of double bonds per molecule, f, was greater than 1 and tended to be near 2. Thereby most of the degraded polyisobutylene was shown to have two terminal unsaturations per molecule.     

Oligoethylenes in high pressure polyethylene

Summary Series of several alkylated cycloheptanes were detected in some commercial samples of high pressure polyethylene. The structures of the alkylated cycloheptanes were found closely related to the chain transfer agents used in the polymerization process. A probable mechanism involving radical cyclization to cycloheptane structures was presented.     

Fabrication of on-chip microcapillary using photosensitive glass

The on-chip microcapillary applying for electrophoresis analysis device has been fabricated on photosensitive glass. This process can make a high aspect-ratio channel structure. The channel-depth can be controlled by varying wet-etching time without widening the channel width because the substrate material has vertical high etch rate selectivity. This high aspect-ratio structure obtains a long optical path and appropriate sample volume resulting in high-sensitivity for various analyses. The fabrication process is simpler than a usual glass micromachining process because of photo-resistless lithography process. In order to smooth the channel surface and to attach a cover glass onto the substrate, a polysilazane coating process is proposed and revealed to be effective. We are indebted to Dr. N. Sawanobori (SUMITA OPTICAL GLASS, INC., Japan) for photosensitive glass and Dr. T. Ishikawa (TONEN CORPORATION, Japan) for polysilazane. They have given valuable advice for fabrication process in this study. This work was partially supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Science Research (No. 13450146) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).     

Determination of standard gibbs energies of formation of Fe2Mo3O12, Fe2Mo3O8, Fe2MoO4, and FeMoO4 of the Fe-Mo-O ternary system and μ phase of the Fe-Mo binary system by electromotive force measurement using a Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 solid electrolyte

The standard Gibbs energies of formation of Fe₂Mo₃O₁₂, Fe₂Mo₃O₈, FeMoO₄, and Fe₂MoO₄ of the Fe-Mo-O ternary system and the μ phase of the Fe-Mo binary system have been determined by measuring electromotive forces of galvanic cells having an Y₂O₃-stabilized ZrO₂ solid electrolyte. The results are as follows: $$\begin{gathered} \Delta _f G^\circ (FeMoO_4 )/kJ \cdot mol^{ - 1} = - 1053.5 + 0.2983(T/K) \pm 0.4 \hfill \\ Temperature range: 1112 to 1339 K \hfill \\ \Delta _f G^\circ (Fe_2 Mo_3 O_8 )/kJ \cdot mol^{ - 1} = - 2347 + 0.6814(T/K) \pm 1 \hfill \\ Temperature range: 1112 to 1339 K \hfill \\ \Delta _f G^\circ (Fe_2 Mo_3 O_{12} )/kJ \cdot mol^{ - 1} = - 2993 + 0.9105(T/K) \pm 2 \hfill \\ Temperature range: 1040 to 1145 K \hfill \\ \Delta _f G^\circ (Fe_{0.58} Mo_{0.42} )/kJ \cdot mol^{ - 1} = - 18.7 + 0.0117(T/K) \pm 0.1 \hfill \\ Temperature range: 1162 to 1223 K \hfill \\ \Delta _f G^\circ (Fe_2 MoO_4 )/kJ \cdot mol^{ - 1} = - 1174 + 0.342(T/K) \pm 1 \hfill \\ Temperature range: 1243 to 1466 K \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$ where the standard pressure is 1 bar (100 kPa).