Preparation of Ba2YCu3O7-δ Thin Films with Preferred Orientation through an Organometallic Route

Superconducting Ba₂YCu₃O_7-δ thin films were prepared through an organometallic route. Single-phase Ba₂YCu₃O_7-δ thin films with preferred orientation were successfully prepared on SrTiO₃ (100) single-crystal substrates at 800°C by a dip coating method using partially hydrolyzed Ba-Y-Cu organometallic solutions. Preferentially oriented Ba₂YCu₃-O_7-δ thin films were also prepared on MgO (100) substrates. By controlling the partial hydrolysis conditions, a coating solution for precursor thin films was kept accurately at the stoichiometric composition. The use of ozone gas during the pyrolysis of the precursor thin films was found to suppress the formation of BaCO₃. Ba₂YCu₃O_7-δ thin films with c -axis orientation perpendicular to a SrTiO₃ (100) substrate, which were heat-treated at 900°C for 15 min, exhibited a superconductivity transition with an onset of 90 K and an end of 75 K.     

Framework for Performance-Based Design of Building Structures

Abstract:   This article proposes a new framework for performance-based design (PBD) of building structures. This framework was proposed under the 3-year Japanese Government Comprehensive Research and Development Project on "Development of a New Engineering Framework for Building Structures" launched in the fiscal year of 1995. The primary objective of the project is to create a system in which the performance of buildings is clearly stated, and consumers, that is, occupants, are well informed of how their buildings will perform and how much it will cost to maintain their performance. The framework emphasizes the establishment of target performance, the performance evaluation, and the performance statement as the main three elements. It also stresses that an institutional framework and support systems need to be provided to enable PBD to be practiced efficiently. The implementation of the proposed framework is also expected to promote engineering innovation, progress in building engineering, and globalization. The new framework will also bring other benefits, such as improved design techniques, greater design flexibility, and international harmonization. It is also important for building structural performance to become one of the most important indexes for consumers to define a building's value. The Japanese building code was changed to the performance-based code, based in the clear and comprehensive manner proposed in this article. In the United States, "Vision 2000" ( SEAOC, 1995 ) was published, then many research activities were conducted simultaneously.     

Preparation of Al-doped ZnO transparent electrodes suitable for thin-film solar cell applications by various types of magnetron sputtering depositions

In order to determine the influence of different types of magnetron sputtering (MS) depositions on the characteristics of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films appropriate for applications as transparent electrodes in thin-film solar cells, transparent conducting AZO thin films were prepared on glass substrates at 200 °C by direct current (dc) magnetron sputtering (dc-MS), radio frequency (rf)-MS and rf power superimposed dc-MS (rf + dc-MS) depositions using an MS apparatus with the same AZO target. AZO thin films prepared by an rf + dc-MS deposition exhibited both a higher deposition rate than that found with rf-MS depositions and a lower resistivity or higher Hall mobility than those found with dc-MS. The lower dc sputter voltage featured in rf-MS and rf ± dc-MS depositions, producing smoother surface morphology and better crystallinity than obtained with dc-MS depositions. The light scattering characteristics of surface-textured AZO thin films prepared by various types of MS depositions were evaluated by observing the surface texture and measuring the optical transmittance and the diffusive component; wet-chemical etching of the thin film surface was performed in a 0.1% HCl solution. The obtainable haze property in the range from visible to near infrared in AZO films prepared by an rf + dc-MS deposition was markedly better than that obtained with dc-MS depositions.     

High-intensity multi-bunch beam generation by a photo-cathode RF gun

A multi-bunch photo-cathode RF gun system has been developed as an electron source for the production of intense quasi-monochromatic X-rays based on inverse Compton scattering. The desired multi-bunch beam is 100 bunches/pulse with a total charge of 500 nC and a bunch spacing of 2.8 ns. We modified the gun cavity of a ‘BNL-type IV’ RF gun to allow a CsTe cathode plug in the end plate. The system uses a four-dipole chicane beam line to allow the injection of laser light normal to the cathode surface. We compensate the gun cavity beam loading caused by the high-intensity multi-bunch electron beam by injecting the laser pulse before RF power has filled the cavity. We have achieved a total intensity of 220 nC in 100 bunches with a bunch-to-bunch energy spread under 1.3% (peak-to-peak). This paper concentrates on experiments to generate the high-intensity multi-bunch beam with compensation of the bunch-to-bunch energy spread due to heavy beam loading.     

Effects of coal rank and reaction conditions upon coprocessing coal with waste tyre

It is well known that the amount of waste tyre increases every year, and a numerous amount of waste tyre is landfilled or dumped all over the world, which causes environmental problems, such as destruction of natural places and the risk of fires. Coprocessing waste tyre and coal is considered as one of the effective processing methods of both materials. Upon coprocessing lower rank coal (Wyoming, C; 68%) with waste tyre, the synergistic effects to upgrading, such as the increase of oil yield and the decrease of residue yield, were appeared. However, the synergistic effects were not observed on coprocessing two kinds of higher rank coals with waste tyre. The reactions of coal with benzophenone were carried out to discuss the hydrogen donatability of coal. Conversion of benzophenone to diphenylmethane on the reaction with Wyoming coal was higher than those of higher rank coals. Accordingly, it was considered that the synergistic effects to upgrading upon coprocessing Wyoming coal with waste tyre were obtained owing to the enhancement of stabilization of radicals from tyre and Wyoming coal through the hydrogen donation from both tyre and Wyoming coal. The effects of reaction temperature and the amount of solvent upon coprocessing Wyoming coal with waste tyre were also discussed in this study.     

Prediction of Sediment Load Concentration in Rivers using Artificial Neural Network Model

An artificial neural model is used to estimate the natural sediment discharge in rivers in terms of sediment concentration. This is achieved by training the network to extrapolate several natural streams data collected from reliable sources. The selection of water and sediment variables used in the model is based on the prior knowledge of the conventional analyses, based on the dynamic laws of flow and sediment. Choosing an appropriate neural network structure and providing field data to that network for training purpose are addressed by using a constructive back-propagation algorithm. The model parameters, as well as fluvial variables, are extensively investigated in order to get the most accurate results. In verification, the estimated sediment concentration values agree well with the measured ones. The model is evaluated by applying it to other groups of data from different rivers. In general, the new approach gives better results compared to several commonly used formulas of sediment discharge.     

Characterizations of elderly recipient of home-care and their caregivers. A questionnaire survey of elderly members of a health insurance union

The characteristics of elderly being cared for at home and their caregivers were analyzed based on a questionnaire about health and care for the elderly. We also assessed the problems of home care in view of activities of daily living (ADL) of the home-care recipient. Subjects were members of a health insurance union or their families and ages were more than 65 years old. Results were as follows; 1. The total number of released questionnaires was 5,472, of which responses totally 2,567 (46.9%) were received. Frequencies of the elderly at home without care, at home with care, and in hospitals or nursing home were 86.3%, 9.6% and 4.1%, respectively. 2. We categorized the home care recipient according to their ADL and analyzed their status. The frequency of using health care equipment for home care was significantly higher in the low ADL groups than in the high ADL groups. Caregivers in low ADL groups felt much more care burden than those in high ADL groups. 3. There was a tendency for differences in the use of community welfare services such as visiting nurses or short-stay between the home care recipient with dementia (group D) and the bedfast home care recipient (group C). Approximately 30% of caregivers in group D wanted to transfer the care of the elderly to hospitals or nursing home. 4. In Tokyo and nearby prefectures, there was a highly frequency that main caregivers were recipients' children. In the rural prefecture it was more frequent that the main caregiver was recipients' wife or husband only.     

Cloning and characterization of cDNAs encoding S-RNases from almond (Prunus dulcis): primary structural features and sequence diversity of the S-RNases in Rosaceae

The ability of histamine H3 receptor ligands to interact with 5-HT3 receptors in NG108-15 cells was studied using the whole cell patch clamp recording technique. Imetit, a histamine H3 receptor agonist, generated inward currents and exhibited weak partial agonist activity at the 5-HT3 receptor (EC50 = 11.8 microM). Imetit-induced currents were slow to desensitize and at a high concentration reduced in size. The histamine H3 receptor antagonists iodophenpropit and thioperamide did not generate inward currents but were able to inhibit 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) responses with an IC50 of 1.57+/-0.3 microM and 13.7+/-3.5 microM, respectively. Thioperamide is probably a non-competitive antagonist which may have more than one binding site on the receptor.     

Changes in the heparin affinity of extracellular-superoxide dismutase in patients with coronary artery atherosclerosis

Extracellular-superoxide dismutase [EC 1.15.1.1] (EC-SOD) is a secretory glycoprotein with high affinity for heparin. This enzyme locates in blood vessel walls at a high enough level to suppress oxidative stress under normal conditions. EC-SOD is the major SOD isozyme in plasma, anchored to heparan sulfate proteoglycans in the glycocalyx of endothelial cell surfaces. Plasma EC-SOD is heterogeneous in heparin affinity and can be divided into five fractions, I to V, by heparin-HPLC. It has been suggested that EC-SOD form V is the primary form synthesized in the body and that EC-SOD forms with reduced heparin affinity are the result of proteolytic truncation of the C-terminal end of EC-SOD form V which is responsible for the binding with heparin. Recently, we reported that only plasma EC-SOD form V, with the highest heparin affinity, was increased by intravenous injection of heparin. The heparin affinity of plasma EC-SOD in patients with coronary atherosclerosis (CA+ patients) was compared in this study. The increase of plasma EC-SOD form V after heparin injection in CA+ patients was significantly less than that in subjects without evidence of stenosis in their major coronary arteries (CA- subjects). On the other hand, in CA+ patients, EC-SOD forms I to III, with low heparin affinity, were significantly increased compared to those in CA- subjects. EC-SOD in plasma apparently forms an equilibrium between the plasma phase and endothelial cell surface, and EC-SOD on the endothelial cell surface contributes to protecting the vessel wall against oxidative stress. These findings suggest that the quantitative and qualitative changes of EC-SOD, i.e., the decrease of bound EC-SOD on the endothelial cell surface, might suppress the defense systems against oxidative stress, which causes in part the development of coronary artery atherosclerosis.