Experimental investigation for seismic performance of framed structures having longitudinally profiled plates

This paper presents an application of hot-rolled-thickness tapered steel plates, longitudinally profiled (LP) plates, for improving seismic resistance performance of portal-framed bridge pier bents. The scale of the model was 2.0 m beam length, 2.0 m column height using centerline framing dimensions and the rectangular stiffened cross section of LP plate for flange and constant thickness plate for web. One portal model which has different tapering ratios at both the end panels of the column flanges was tested, and another model with the constant cross section of 330×250×6 mm was also tested for comparison.

The main conclusion of this study is that the optimum tapering ratio of the LP plates can lead to larger spread of yield zones with less strain concentration compared to the uniform thickness plate. Seismic design guidelines are also proposed for portal frames having LP plates.     

Phase Equilibria and Phase Transition of the Ni–Fe–Ga Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Alloy System

Phase equilibria and martensitic and magnetic transitions of the β (B2 and L2₁) phase in the Ni–Fe–Ga system were investigated. The b phase was found to be in equilibrium with the γ (A1 structure) or γ′ (L1₂ structure) phase. The Curie temperature, T _c , equilibrium temperature, T _o 5 (Ms + Af)/2, martensitic transition starting temperature, M _s , and reverse transition finishing temperature, Af , of the β single–phase alloys were sensitive to the Fe and Ga compositions. The Fe substitution for Ni decreased and increased the T _o and T _c , respectively. The Ga substitution for Ni or Fe decreased both the T _o and T _c . The entropy change accompanying the reverse martensitic transition showed compositional dependence due to the magnetic contribution. The saturation magnetization I _s of the Ni–Fe–Ga system showed a strong dependence on the magnetic valence Z _M . The Is values of the Ni–Fe–Ga alloys annealed at 1023 K showed the same Z _m dependence as other ferromagnetic shape memory alloy (FSMA) systems. This article is based on a presentation made in the symposium entitled "Phase Transformations in Magnetic Materials," which occurred during the TMS Annual Meeting, March 12-16, 2006, in San Antonio, Texas, under the auspices of the Joint TMS–MPMD and ASMI–MSCTS Phase Transformations Committee.     

Stimulation of osteoclast formation by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D requires its binding to vitamin D receptor (VDR) in osteoblastic cells: studies using VDR knockout mice

Previous studies have shown that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] plays important roles in the formation of osteoclasts through its actions on osteoblastic cells. We have generated mice lacking vitamin D receptor (VDR) by gene targeting (VDR-/-). These mice had tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive osteoclasts, and exhibited similar levels of parameters for bone resorption to those in wild type mice. The present studies were undertaken to clarify whether effects of 1,25(OH)2D on osteoclast formation require VDR in osteoblasts, and to examine mechanisms of the formation of osteoclasts without VDR-mediated actions using VDR-/- mice. When wild-type calvarial osteoblasts and spleen cells were co-cultured with 1,25(OH)2D, TRAP-positive osteoclasts were formed regardless of the genotypes of spleen cells. In contrast, when osteoblasts from VDR-/- mice were co-cultured, no osteoclasts could be formed even with wild-type spleen cells. Parathyroid hormone and interleukin-1alpha stimulated osteoclast formation by co-cultures from VDR-/- mice, and the generated osteoclasts showed resorbing activity. These results demonstrate that VDR-mediated actions of 1,25(OH)2D in osteoblasts are essential for osteoclast formation by 1,25(OH)2D, and that functionally intact osteoclasts can be formed without 1,25(OH)2D actions under stimulations by other agents. It is suggested that osteoclastic bone resorption can be maintained without 1,25(OH)2D actions by other stimulatory agents.     

Electrical and Thermal Conductivities of Nickel-Zirconia Cermets

The microstructure, electrical resistivity, and thermal diffusivity of nickel-zirconia cermets have been studied. Scanning electron microscopy of the fracture surfaces of samples shows that there are some small isolated nickel granules adhering to the surface of the zirconia particles. Considering such a microstructural feature of samples and the law of mixtures, an improved model for electrical and thermal conductivity is established. With this model, the experimental results-that electrical conductivity and thermal diffusivity increase with increasing nickel content-are interpreted. Moreover, the thermal diffusivity is observed to be almost linearly related to temperature.     

Characterization of a Novel Thermostable Dye-Linked l-Lactate Dehydrogenase Complex and Its Application in Electrochemical Detection

Flavoenzyme dye-linked l-lactate dehydrogenase (Dye-LDH) is primarily involved in energy generation through electron transfer and exhibits potential utility in electrochemical devices. In this study, a gene encoding a Dye-LDH homolog was identified in a hyperthermophilic archaeon, Sulfurisphaera tokodaii. This gene was part of an operon that consisted of four genes that were tandemly arranged in the Sf. tokodaii genome in the following order: stk_16540, stk_16550 (dye-ldh homolog), stk_16560, and stk_16570. This gene cluster was expressed in an archaeal host, Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, and the produced enzyme was purified to homogeneity and characterized. The purified recombinant enzyme exhibited Dye-LDH activity and consisted of two different subunits (products of stk_16540 (α) and stk_16550 (β)), forming a heterohexameric structure (α3β3) with a molecular mass of approximately 253 kDa. Dye-LDH also exhibited excellent stability, retaining full activity upon incubation at 70 °C for 10 min and up to 80% activity after 30 min at 50 °C and pH 6.5–8.0. A quasi-direct electron transfer (DET)-type Dye-LDH was successfully developed by modification of the recombinant enzyme with an artificial redox mediator, phenazine ethosulfate, through amine groups on the enzyme’s surface. This study is the first report describing the development of a quasi-DET-type enzyme by using thermostable Dye-LDH.     

Quantitative analysis of deuterium in zircaloy using double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectrometry (LIBS) and helium gas plasma without a sample chamber

A crucial safety measure to be strictly observed in the operation of heavy-water nuclear power plants is the mandatory regular inspection of the concentration of deuterium penetrated into the zircaloy fuel vessels. The existing standard method requires a tedious, destructive, and costly sample preparation process involving the removal of the remaining fuel in the vessel and melting away part of the zircaloy pipe. An alternative method of orthogonal dual-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectrometry (LIBS) is proposed by employing flowing atmospheric helium gas without the use of a sample chamber. The special setup of ps and ns laser systems, operated for the separate ablation of the sample target and the generation of helium gas plasma, respectively, with properly controlled relative timing, has succeeded in producing the desired sharp D I 656.10 nm emission line with effective suppression of the interfering H I 656.28 nm emission by operating the ps ablation laser at very low output energy of 26 mJ and 1 μs ahead of the helium plasma generation. Under this optimal experimental condition, a linear calibration line is attained with practically zero intercept and a 20 μg/g detection limit for D analysis of zircaloy sample while creating a crater only 10 μm in diameter. Therefore, this method promises its potential application for the practical, in situ, and virtually nondestructive quantitative microarea analysis of D, thereby supporting the more-efficient operation and maintenance of heavy-water nuclear power plants. Furthermore, it will also meet the anticipated needs of future nuclear fusion power plants, as well as other important fields of application in the foreseeable future.     

Amorphous nanosilicas induce consumptive coagulopathy after systemic exposure

We previously reported that well-dispersed amorphous nanosilicas with particle size 70 nm (nSP70) penetrate skin and produce systemic exposure after topical application. These findings underscore the need to examine biological effects after systemic exposure to nanosilicas. The present study was designed to examine the biological effects. BALB/c mice were intravenously injected with amorphous nanosilicas of sizes 70, 100, 300, 1000 nm and then assessed for survival, blood biochemistry, and coagulation. As a result, injection of nSP70 caused fatal toxicity, liver damage, and platelet depletion, suggesting that nSP70 caused consumptive coagulopathy. Additionally, nSP70 exerts procoagulant activity in vitro associated with an increase in specific surface area, which increases as diameter reduces. In contrast, nSP70-mediated procoagulant activity was absent in factor XII-deficient plasma. Collectively, we revealed that interaction between nSP70 and intrinsic coagulation factors such as factor XII, were deeply related to nSP70-induced harmful effects. In other words, it is suggested that if interaction between nSP70 and coagulation factors can be suppressed, nSP70-induced harmful effects may be avoided. These results would provide useful information for ensuring the safety of nanomaterials (NMs) and open new frontiers in biological fields by the use of NMs.     

Study of Substrate Preheating on Flattening Behavior of Thermal-Sprayed Copper Particles

In this study, the effect of substrate preheating on flattening behavior of thermal-sprayed particles was systematically investigated. A part of mirror-polished AISI304 substrates were preheated to 573 and 773 K for 10 min, and then exposed to an air atmosphere for different durations of up to 48 h, respectively. Contact angle of water droplet was measured on the substrate under designated conditions. It was found that the contact angle increased gradually with the increase of substrate duration after preheating. Moreover, smaller contact angle was maintained on the substrate with higher preheating temperature. Commercially available Cu powders were thermally sprayed onto the substrates with the same thermal treatment history as contact angle measurement using atmospheric plasma-spray technique. The splat shape had a transitional changing tendency from a splash splat to a disk one on the substrate with a short duration after preheating, while reappearance of splash splat with the increase of duration was confirmed. In general, wetting of substrate surface by molten particles may dominate the flattening behavior of thermal-sprayed particles. The occurrence of desorption of adsorbed gas/condensation caused by substrate preheating likely provides good wetting. On the other hand, the poor wetting may be attributed to the re-adsorption of gas/condensation on the substrate surface with the increase of duration. In addition, the shear adhesion strength of coating fabricated on blasted AISI304 substrate was enhanced on the once-heated substrate, but weakened with the increase of duration. The changing tendency of the coating adhesion strength and the wetting of substrate by droplet corresponded quite well with each other.     

Vacuum Insulation and Achievement of 980 keV, 185 A/m~2 H-Ion Beam Acceleration at JAEA for the ITER Neutral Beam Injector

Vacuum insulation of 1 MV is a common issue for the HV bushing and the accel- erator for the ITER neutral beam injector (NBI). The HV bushing as an insulating feedthrough has a five-stage structure and each stage consists of double-layered insulators. To sustain 1 MV in vacuum, reduction of electric field at several triple points existing around the double-layered insulators is a critical issue. To reduce electric field simultaneously at these points, three types of stress ring have been developed. In a voltage holding test of a full-scale mockup equipped with these stress rings, 120% of rated voltage was sustained and the voltage holding capability required in ITER was verified. In the MeV accelerator, whose target is the acceleration of a H ion beam of 1 MeV, 200 A/m 2 , the gap between the grid support was extended to suppress breakdowns triggered by electric field concentration at the edge and corner of the grid support. This modi- fication improved the voltage holding capability in vacuum, and the MeV accelerator succeeded in sustaining 1 MV stably. Furthermore, it appeared that the H ions beam was deflected and a part of the beam was intercepted at the acceleration grid. This causes high heat load on the grids and breakdowns during beam acceleration. To suppress the direct interception, a new grid was designed with proper aperture displacement based on a three dimensional beam trajectory analysis. As a result, 980 keV, 185 A/m 2 H ion beam acceleration has been demonstrated, which is close to the ITER requirement.     

Conceptual study of vertical sector transport maintenance for DEMO fusion reactor

The maintenance scheme is a critical issue for DEMO design, and requires high availability of the reactor. The SlimCS, designed in JAEA, adopts the horizontal sector transport hot cell maintenance scheme. In order to determine the most appropriate DEMO reactor maintenance scheme, it is important to assess the various maintenance schemes. In this paper the vertical sector transport maintenance concept is proposed for the first time. In the sector maintenance scheme, the amount of cutting/re-welding of the piping is minimized. The sector including blanket modules and a high-temperature shield was divided into 10° segments in a toroidal direction. The sectors are designed to be removed and re-inserted through upper alternate vertical maintenance ports. In the case of the vertical sector transport maintenance scheme, inter-coil structures could be adopted for use against turnover force in toroidal field (TF) coils. This shows an advantage in DEMO maintenance compared with horizontal sector transport.