Optimum design of color pixel arrangement for 5-in diagonal TFT-LCDsuitable for character and TV images

A new GRGB arrangement used for a 5-in TFT-LCD enables the total number of pixels to be decreased to 2/3 of the conventional RGB stripe arrangement. Adopting a signal compensation technique, 15×20 legible characters are displayed. TV display quality for the GRGB arrangement is expected to remain similar to that for the RGB stripe arrangement. A normalization method which is effective for comparisons of different LCTVs is proposed. It is concluded that, when the values of pixel pitch ratio vertical to horizontal are nearly 1/3, 1/2, and 1, the optimum color pixel arrangements are the RGB, GRGB, and RGB delta arrangements, respectively     

Improvement in dynamic characteristics of surface grinding machines with a horizontal spindle and a reciprocating work-table by means of a new type of dynamic damper

A number of types of dynamic damper for surface grinding machines with a horizontal spindle and a reciprocating work-table are developed and their effectiveness is investigated experimentally. In all cases, the amplitudes of the tuning-fork mode vibrations of the machines were reduced to about one-fifth of the values in the original states, and chatter marks due to these vibrations have been suppressed completely. In particular, a multi-degrees-of-freedom two-directional type dynamic damper has excellent adaptability to the variation in the dynamic characteristics of the surface grinding machines during machining operations and is also effective in suppressing the horizontal vibration of the wheel-head.     

Distance for fragmentation of a simulated molten-core material discharged into a sodium pool

A series of experiments has been carried out to obtain experimental knowledge on the distance for fragmentation of a molten core material discharged into the sodium plenum during postulated core disruptive accidents of sodium-cooled fast reactors. In the current experiments, 0.9 kg of molten aluminum (initial temperature: around 1473 K) was discharged into a sodium pool (diameter: 0.11 m, depth: 1 m, initial temperature: 673 K) through a nozzle (inner diameter: 20 mm). Visual observation of the fragmentation behavior was performed using an X-ray imaging system. The following experimental results were obtained. (1) Liquid column of molten aluminum was intensively fragmented almost simultaneously with a rapid expansion of sodium vapor in the vicinity of the column. (2) Due to the intensive fragmentation, penetration of the liquid column was limited to approximately 100 mm or so from the sodium level. (3) The molten aluminum was rapidly cooled after the intensive fragmentation. Based on these results, the distance for fragmentation of the liquid column was estimated to be 100 mm in the experiments. Through the current experiment, useful knowledge was obtained for the future development of an evaluation method of the distance for fragmentation of the molten core material.     

Development of Strategic Establishment of Technology Bases for a Fusion DEMO Reactor in Japan

The strategic establishment of technology bases required for the development of a fusion demonstration reactor (DEMO) has been discussed by joint endeavors throughout the Japanese fusion community. The mission of Fusion DEMO is to demonstrate the technological and economic feasibility of fusion energy. The basic concept of Fusion DEMO has been identified and the structure of technological issues to ensure the feasibility of this DEMO concept has been examined. The Joint-Core Team consisting of experts from the Japanese fusion community including industry has pointed out that DEMO should be aimed at steady power generation beyond several hundred thousand kilowatts, availability which must be extensible to commercialization, and overall tritium breeding sufficient to achieve fuel-cycle self-sufficiency. The necessary technological issues and activities have been sorted out along with 11 identified elements of DEMO, such as superconducting coils, blanket, divertor, and others. These will be arranged within a time line to lead to the Japanese fusion roadmap.     

Accurate determination of multiple sets of single molecular conductance of Au/1,6-hexanedithiol/Au break junctions by ultra-high vacuum-scanning tunneling microscope and analyses of individual current-separation curves

The effect of the binding sites of the terminal groups -S on gold on currents through a single molecular junction (MJ) of Au/1,6-hexanedithiol/Au was studied by measuring current-separation (i-s) curves during repeated formation of a break junction in UHV-STM. Three different single molecular conductance (SMC) values (i.e. G(m)(HC), G(m)(MC) and G(m)(LC)) were found by a careful analysis of corrected current histograms for background tunneling currents using a previously developed robust statistical analysis. Here, HC, MC and LC represent a single MJ with high, medium and low conductance, respectively. These three SMC values are attributed to three different contact modes (i.e. strong-strong, strong-weak (or weak-strong) and weak-weak bindings at the two ends). In addition to these three SMC values due to the different contacts, another lower SMC value was newly observed in the corrected histogram. The presence of the fourth SMC is specific to MJs of alkanedithiols and is attributable to LC of a single alkylene chain with gauche rich conformation, which has a lower SMC value than that of LC with all-trans conformation as proposed previously (Fujihira M et al 2006 Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 8 3876). Due to the effects of the contact and the conformational change, it was difficult to determine six different SMC values corresponding to two different conformations (i.e. gauche-rich versus all-trans) with three different contacts (i.e. HC, MC and LC). In addition to this complexity, the current steps corresponding to HC, MC and LC almost always appeared in this order in measured i-s curves during separation. The current step observed here could not only be a contribution from a single molecule, but also contributions from a few groups of molecules that happen to link gold atoms of the substrate with those of the tip apex. Therefore, the SMC value for HC obtained as a peak or a set of peaks in the current histogram could be based upon the sum of the current of HC and those of MCs and LCs coexisting in parallel, unless every MJ would change successively from HC to MC and MC to LC. Namely, the currents through coexisting MCs and LCs would raise the intrinsic current observed for HC itself, while those through coexisting LCs would raise the intrinsic current for MC. To avoid such errors in determining the true SMC, we demonstrate here a new method based upon analyses of individual i-s curves referred to as jump height analyses of individual i-s curves. By this method, the true SMC of LC(all-trans) was determined to be 1.6?nS (i.e. G(m) (LC, all-trans) of 2.1 × 10(-5)G(o)) without ambiguity in spite of the possible presence of LCs(gauche rich) in parallel.     

An investigation on debris bed self-leveling behavior with non-spherical particles

Studies on debris bed self-leveling behavior with non-spherical particles are crucial in the assessment of actual leveling behavior that could occur in core disruptive accident of sodium-cooled fast reactors. Although in our previous publications, a simple empirical model (based model), with its wide applicability confirmed over various experimental conditions, has been successfully advanced to predict the transient leveling behavior, up until now this model is restricted to calculations of debris bed of spherical particles. Focusing on this aspect, in this study a series of experiments using non-spherical particles was performed within a recently developed comparatively larger scale experimental facility. Based on the knowledge and data obtained, an extension scheme was suggested with the intention to extend the base model to cover the particle-shape influence. The proposed scheme principally consists of two parts – with one part for correcting the terminal velocity of a single non-spherical particle, which is the key parameter in our base model, and the other for representing the additional particle–particle interactions caused by the shape-related parameters. Through detailed analyses, it is found that by coupling this scheme, good agreement between experimental and predicted results can be achieved for both spherical and non-spherical particles given current range of experimental conditions.     

Production of extracellular bifidogenic growth stimulator (BGS) from Propionibacterium shermanii using a bioreactor system with a microfiltration module and an on-line controller for lactic acid concentration

Production of a bifidogenic growth stimulator (BGS) by Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. shermanii (Propionibacterium shermanii) using lactic acid as a carbon source was investigated using different cultivation methods. When a continuous bioreactor system with a filtration device was used at a dilution rate of 0.075 h(-1), the average BGS concentration was 2.4 mg/l, which corresponds to a BGS productivity per cultivation time of 1.8 x 10(-1) mg x l(-1) x h(-1). The BGS productivity per cultivation time in continuous cultivation with filtration was 1.9-fold that (9.4 x 10(-2) mg x l(-1).h(-1)) in a conventional batch cultivation. In fed-batch cultivation with feed-back control using an on-line lactic acid controller with a lactic acid biosensor, it was possible to prevent substrate inhibition by maintaining the lactic acid concentration in culture broth low at 3.3 g/l, and an enhanced BGS production (31 mg/l) was successfully attained. The BGS productivity per cultivation time (2.1x10(-1) mg x l(-1) x h(-1)) in the fed-batch cultivation with feed-back control was 2.2-fold that in the conventional batch cultivation. A new bioreactor system was developed by coupling a continuous bioreactor system with a filtration device to an on-line lactic acid controller. Using the new bioreactor system, we produced BGS continuously at a high level of 47 mg/l. The BGS productivities per cultivation time (3.5 mg.l(-1) x h(-1)) and the total volume of medium used (1.7 x 10(-1) mg x l(-1) x h(-1)) obtained in the new bioreactor system were 37-fold and 2.1-fold those in the conventional batch cultivation, respectively. These results described above clearly demonstrate the positive effects of both the continuous filtration for removal of metabolites (propionic and acetic acids) inhibitory to cell growth and feed-back control of lactic acid concentration in the culture broth on BGS production by P. shermanii. This paper is the first report on BGS production by the propionic acid bacterium using lactic acid as a carbon source.     

Towards Personalized Medicine Mediated by in Vitro Virus-Based Interactome Approaches

We have developed a simple in vitro virus (IVV) selection system based on cell-free co-translation, using a highly stable and efficient mRNA display method. The IVV system is applicable to the high-throughput and comprehensive analysis of proteins and protein–ligand interactions. Huge amounts of genomic sequence data have been generated over the last decade. The accumulated genetic alterations and the interactome networks identified within cells represent a universal feature of a disease, and knowledge of these aspects can help to determine the optimal therapy for the disease. The concept of the “integrome” has been developed as a means of integrating large amounts of data. We have developed an interactome analysis method aimed at providing individually-targeted health care. We also consider future prospects for this system.     

Dimension of heterogeneous network architecture formed in emulsion cross-linking copolymerization

The mean-square radius of gyration Rg² and the graph diameter D of highly heterogeneous network polymers formed in emulsion vinyl/divinyl copolymerization are investigated to find a linear relationship, Rg² = a D. The proportionality coefficient, a, is dominated by the cycle (circuit) rank, k_c, or the number of intramolecular cross-links. The magnitude of a is slightly larger than that for the random cross-linked network polymers, but the functional form of a (k_c) is simply proportional to that for the random networks proposed earlier. This relationship makes it possible to determine Rg² based on D and k_c, enabling quick estimation of Rg² for large network polymers. It is found that the contraction factor g of the present heterogeneous network polymer is larger than that for the homogeneous networks formed through random cross-linking of polymer chains. The ratio of these two contraction factors is kept constant, irrespective of the magnitude of k_c.     

Control of network structure in emulsion crosslinking copolymerization

A kinetic model for network structure development during crosslinking copolymerization of vinyl and divinyl monomer is proposed. The model calculations suggest that polymer networks synthesized by free-radical copolymerization are, in general, inhomogeneous at least on a microscopic scale. By application of the same kinetic parameters as those for bulk polymerizations, it was found that the crosslinking density of the polymers formed in the earlier stages of polymerization is very high in emulsion polymerizations and polymer networks tend to be highly heterogeneous. Homogeneous networks cannot be formed even under Flory's simplifying assumptions for vinyl/divinyl copolymerization in emulsion polymerizations. The present kinetic model can be used to find semi-batch policies to control the network structure, and semi-batch policies were used to illustrate the synthesis of homogeneous polymer networks.