A cellular automata model considering diversity associated with HIV infection

The diversity of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in vivo has been reported. In this article, we propose a cellular automata (CA) model describing the interactions between the immune system and HIV, and examine the effect of the diversity of these interactions. The novel aspects of our CA model are that it not only considers four states (HIV, virgin, dead, infect) but also the diversity exhibited by both HIV and T cells. We simulated maximum diversities for these states by simulating CA on a computer. The model revealed that increased diversity had the effect of increasing the HIV population and simulation steps. In addition, we observed that the CA model accurately reflects the occurrence of infection, incubation period, and the development of AIDS. The CA model demonstrated that the diversity of the virus is the major factor affecting the success rate of the escape of HIV from the immune response. This work was presented in part at the 10th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, February 4–6, 2005     

Radiation heat transfer in three‐dimensional closed space including diffuse and specular surfaces

A method of numerical calculation for radiation heat transfer in a three‐dimensional closed space including diffuse and specular surfaces was developed. To enable an analysis of the radiation heat exchange on each surface considering multiple specular reflections and obstacles to radiation in the space, an improved heat ray‐tracing method was presented to calculate view factors accurately. The method was determined to be applicable to complicated problems in test calculations using models with specular surfaces and obstacles. Continuing efforts are being applied to more realistic problems. The example examined in this paper is an infrared emitter with a parabolic specular reflector, which is a conventional electric heating apparatus. The measured result for radiant power distribution agrees well with the calculated one. The practical validity of our method was verified. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 32(2): 108–129, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.10074     

An experimental study on bubble growth within a narrow space under an interference‐piece

An experimental study was performed on the nucleate boiling of water in the narrow space formed between an interference piece and the heating surface of heat‐proof glass. A past study analyzed the bubble growth due to the conduction of heat through the thinner liquid layer under a growing bubble; however, the thickness of the liquid layer was not shown experimentally. This study investigates the thickness of this thinner layer by the interference method. Almost no change was found on the thickness of the liquid layer under both the interference‐piece and on the heating surface. The experimental results indicate the great contribution of superheating of the test liquid to bubble growth. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 35(2): 165–177, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience. wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20100     

Routing design of tree‐shaped local public communication networks with high reliability and low cost

This paper discusses reliability problems for local public communication networks such as cable television networks and the subscriber‐loops of telecommunication networks. They have tree‐shapes and expand continuously as new customers join. By introducing a simple model, it is shown that most principal reliability measures and cost measures for such networks can be described through the networks' graphical characteristic quantities. Extensive simulations show that the prior provision of trunk pipes and a suitable choice of the route selecting rule for new customers are effective in constructing a highly reliable network with low cost. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Progress of a tunable active bandpass filter

A review of a tunable active bandpass filter developed in our research group is given here. Presented first is the basic structure of an end-coupled microstrip-line bandpass filter. Next discussed is the concept of using coupled negative resistance to compensate the loss of tank circuit. Then, the method of using varactor diode or mesfet varactor to tune the center frequency of the passband is discussed. The capability of optical-control of mesfet varactor and the concept of using mesfets as three-terminal varactors are also discussed.     

Polymers degradable under environmental conditions through end-modification of poly(α-methylstyrene) derivatives

To induce degradabilities in polymers in response to environmental conditions, the end-modification reactions of poly(α-methylstyrene) derivatives were carried out. When diphenylphosphine chloride was used as a modifier for the living end of para-substituted PMS, the coupling efficiency was ca. 50%. 2-Phenylallyl halide derivatives such as 2-phenylallyl bromide, 2-(4-tolyl)allyl bromide, and α-trifluoromethylstyrene were found to be suitable end-modification agents. For example, ω-2-phenylallyl PMS was prepared with almost quantitative functionality by the reaction of the living PMS with 2-phenylallyl bromide. In a similar way, ω-3,3-difluoro-2-phenylallyl and ω-2-(4-tolyl)allyl PMS derivatives were synthesized. Based on thermogravimetric analysis, onset of the degradation temperature of the end-modified PMS derivatives decreased in the following order: ω-hydrogen- > ω-3,3-difluoro-2-phenylallyl- > ω-2-phenylallyl- > ω-2-(4-tolyl)allyl-PMS. Actually, the onset temperature of ω-2-(4-tolyl)allyl-PMS derivatives was 50°C lower than that of ω-H-PMS derivatives. These results indicate that the active species is produced effectively at the end unsaturated bond, which initiates the depolymerization of the polymer at rather low temperatures. Ionic degradation of these polymers was also investigated using butyllithium as an anionic initiator and methanesulfonic acid as a cationic initiator. Tendencies similar to the thermal degradation were observed. Therefore, it is concluded that a 2-phenylallyl substituent at the end of the PMS chain induces effective degradation through several mechanisms such as radical, anionic and cationic depolymerization reactions.     

Development, Analysis, and Application of a Glass–Alumina-Based Self-Constrained Sintering Low-Temperature Cofired Ceramic

The effects of an inner constraint layer and alumina particles on the microstructure, strength, and shrinkage of the laminated low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) green sheet were investigated. Alumina particles of several sizes were used in the inner-constraint layer in order to strengthen the LTCC substrate. Smaller alumina particles in the inner-constraint layer produced a substrate with a high bending strength. Sintering shrinkage in the x – y direction of the LTCC is related to the bending strength of the debinded alumina particle layer used for an inner-constraint layer. A larger pore size in the inner-constraint layer was found to increase the distance of the glass penetration from the glass–alumina layer into the inner-constraint layer. The total thickness of the constraint layer changes the shrinkage in the x – y direction and the bending strength.     

Efficiently activated carbon fiber derived from grafted novoloid fiber

Graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate onto novoloid fiber was carried out by the electron beam mutual irradiation method. The characteristics of the grafted fiber were almost the same as those of the original novoloid fiber. The grafted fiber was carbonized and activated to yield an efficiently activated carbon fiber. The yield and the specific surface area of the activated carbon fiber, derived from the grafted novoloid fiber, were much greater than those derived from the original novoloid fiber. This is because grafted poly(methyl methacrylate) decomposes into monomer and gaseous products, forming pores on the surface and inside of the novoloid fiber on heating. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Development of automatic fault point locating and sectional isolating system for power distribution line

This paper describes the development of the Automatic Fault Point Locating and Sectional Isolating System. This system locates a single-line-to-ground fault point at each pole by using ground-current sensors, and isolates the faulted section by controlling pole switches with no outage of unfaulted sections. The ground-current sensor is connected to the line between allied ground terminals of pole devices and grounded conductor. It detects a ground fault current of more than 0.64 amperes that is determined so as to avoid an unexpected operation by stray current, but to detect the fault current accurately, and sends out an emergency signal with time delay of 0.1 s. Sectional isolation starts when both the emergency signal from the sensor and relay operation signals from a substation are received and ends within a feeder circuit-breaker tripping time of 1.5 s.     

Ethynylvinylidene

Ethynylvinylidene, an energetically low-lying isomer of diacetylene, has been studied using ab initio molecular electronic structure theory. Geometries of diacetylene, ethynylvinylidene, and the transition state between them have been optimized using the double-ζ plus polarization (DZP) and triple-ζ plus double polarization function (TZ2P) basis sets with the self-consistent field (SCF), configuration interaction with single and double excitations (CISD), coupled cluster with single and double substitutions (CCSD), and CCSD with perturbatively included connected triple substitutions [CCSD(T)] methods. At the TZ2P CCSD(T) level of theory only single point energies have been determined at the TZ2P CCSD geometries. Harmonic vibrational frequencies and infrared (IR) intensities are reported for the three stationary points at the DZP SCF, TZ2P SCF, and DZP CISD levels of theory. For ethynylvinylidene, rotational constants, dipole moments, and dipole moment components along the principal axes are also given. This isomer is found to be an extremely shallow minimum on the C₄H₂ potential energy surface, and the classical barrier to rearrangement (to diacetylene) is vanishingly small at the highest level of theory.