Modified silicone as new type of primary coat for optical fibre

It is confirmed that modified silicone is the most suitable for the primary coat of optical fibre. The modified silicone-coated fibre with a silicone buffer and a nylon jacket is found to have high mechanical strength and stable transmission characteristics.     

Autoxidation rates of various esters of safflower oil and linoleic acid

Autoxidation rates of five types of safflower oil esters increased in the following order: monoacylglycerol (MG), methyl ester (ME), diacylglycerol (DG), triacylglycerol (TG) and sucrose ester (SE). The differences in autoxidation rate were confirmed by measuring autoxidation of similar esters of linoleic acid. The order of the oxidation rates corresponded to the number of acyl groups per molecule. This relationship was explainable by the idea that intramolecular free radical chain reaction between actyl groups of esters occurs more rapidly than intermolecular chain reaction. The position of acyl groups also affected the oxidation rates of esters in that 1,3-dilinolein autoxidized more rapidly than 1,2-dilinolein. This difference in oxidation rate may result from a closer arrangement of acyl groups in 1,3-dilinolein than those in the 1,2-isomer.     

A kinetic and thermoanalytical study on oxidation of powder and single-crystal samples of niobium carbide

The oxidation of two kinds of NbC, powder and single-crystal samples, was carried out isothermally at temperatures of 390 to 610°C at an oxygen partial pressure of 8 kPa using an electromicrobalance. The kinetics results suggested that the oxidation of both powder and crystal samples proceeds essentially by a phase-boundary-controlled reaction. It was found that cracking of grains or particles in the powder samples, which occurs in the later stage, accelerates oxidation below 485°C, and extremely rapid reaction proceeds above that temperature. Simultaneous TG-DTA-MS measurement showed that the reaction above 485°C is due to a large heat evolution resulting from rapid oxidation of bare NbC surfaces produced by cracking of grains or particles, which was partly caused by immediate release of CO₂ accumulated in them. Scanning electron microscopy of the crystals showed that columnar, porous grains with the major axis normal to the surface formed, which were responsible for the phase-boundary-controlled reaction of the oxidation of both powder and crystal samples.     

Microlens fabricated by the planar process

A novel microlens that can be integrated on a laser-diode substrate by the planar process is proposed. It consists of two microcylindrical lenses fabricated by the planar process, and all of their dimensions are less than 100 μm. One lens is a horizontal focusing lens whose curved shape determines focusing. The other is a vertical focusing lens whose gradient refractive index determines focusing. The relationship between fabrication errors and lens characteristics is quantitatively established by comparing lenses with various fabrication errors. Also a laser diode integrated with the horizontal focusing lens is successfully fabricated without damage     

Systematic search for variations in the tyrosine hydroxylase gene and their associations with schizophrenia, affective disorders, and alcoholism

This article has focused on a brief review of major psychophysiologic response measures in emotions research, and has attempted to acquaint the reader with basic findings and interpretive issues in this vast and rapidly growing research area. It seems clear that measures of autonomic, somatic motor, and central nervous system activity in emotion provide one perspective on a complex biopsychosocial domain. We have moved from believing that physiologic arousal is sufficient for emotional experience to believing in multiple response systems that interact in complex ways to produce emotional experiences and expressions. The past decade has seen significant advances in our understanding of what is indexed by such responses, and it is now evident that important aspects of the underlying cognitive structure of emotions is revealed through multiple physiologic response channels. Thus, an exciting new era in the psychophysiology of emotions has begun. What will the next decade bring? I believe that the major advances in the next 10 years will emerge through an emerging cognitive neuroscience of emotions that weds traditional psychophysiology, neuroscience, neuroimaging, and neuropsychology through the development of cross-platform technologies. For example, combined psychophysiologic and functional imaging investigations will shed new light on the neural generators for specific response channels. Standardized, parametrically defined emotional stimuli will gain widespread use and will speed progress through experimentation in multiple laboratories. Well-designed and theoretically driven psychophysiologic investigations of emotional responding will continue to play a central role in many of these advances, as they have in the last 50 years of emotion research.     

Inflammatory mediator and organ dysfunction syndrome

PURPOSE: To assess the role of serum folate in the risk for coronary heart disease in a national cohort of US adults. METHODS: Data from the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study (N = 1921) were used to determine whether a low serum folate concentration was associated with an increased risk for incident coronary heart disease (N = 284). The Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for age, sex, race, education, serum cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption. RESULTS: The association between folate and risk for coronary heart disease differed by age group (p = 0.03). Among persons aged 35-55 years, the relative risk for heart disease was 2.4 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.1-5.2) for persons in the lowest quartile (< or = 9.9 nmol/L) when compared with those in the highest quartile (> or = 21.8 nmol/L). However, among persons > or = 55 years the relative risk was 0.5 (95% CI, 0.3-0.8) for comparisons of the lowest versus highest quartiles. CONCLUSIONS: If the age differences in the risk for heart disease are confirmed, randomized clinical trials assessing the role of folic acid for the prevention of heart disease may need to include young adults in order to demonstrate benefits related to folate supplementation.     

The pharmacokinetics of the glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetic acid after intravenous administration of glycyrrhizin for the patients with chronic liver disease caused by type C hepatitis virus

Glycyrrhizin had been used widely for the patients with chronic liver disease. We examined the pharmacokinetics of the glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetic acid in the blood stream after intra-venous administration of glycyrrhizin. The stream concentration of glycyrrhizin in the patients of liver cirrhosis tend to be kept higher than that of chronic hepatitis but there were no significant difference between them except for after a half hour from the administration. There was negative correlation between ICG R15 and the speed of excretion of glycyrrhizin from the serum. On the other hand, the concentration of the glycyrrhetic acid was kept higher in the patients with liver cirrhosis than that of chronic hepatitis, but there were no significant difference between them except for after a half hour from the administration. These findings suggested that the accumulation of glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetic acid in the patients of liver cirrhosis can be seen by long term administration.     

Introduction of DNA into sea urchin eggs by particle gun

We have applied the particle gun method, which was developed to introduce DNA into plant cells, to sea urchin eggs and have obtained excellent expression of the introduced DNA in the embryos. The expression can be normalized by concomitantly-introducing a reference construct. The method provides a new approach to quantitative analysis of cis-regulatory elements in sea urchin embryos.     

Strength and damage accumulation of carbon fabric composites with a cross-linked NBR modified epoxy under static and cyclic loadings

An epoxy matrix of carbon fabric composites (CFC) was modified using sub-micron cross-linked acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (CNBR) particles. The static tensile strength was improved by rubber modification by more than 15% in comparison with the strength of unmodified CFC when the rubber content was 10 wt%. The Young's modulus was little changed due to CNBR modification of the matrix. The interlaminar strength under Mode I loading increased more than 200% due to CNBR modification. AE observation reveals that damage accumulation is very different between unmodified and CNBR modified CFCs. Less fiber breaks for CNBR modified CFC occurred until final failure. Fatigue lives were also extended by CNBR modification. Although the slope of the S-N line of CNBR modified CFC is almost the same as that of unmodified CFC, the fatigue strength is much improved in comparison with the fatigue strength of unmodified CFC. The fatigue limit of 10% CNBR modified CFC is around 480 MPa while unmodified CFC fails at this cyclic stress within 10⁵ cycles. Differences in fractured surface and internal damage accumulation process between two CFCs are found in the fatigue case.