External doses in the environment from the Tokai-mura criticality accident

On 30 September 1999, a criticality accident occurred at a uranium processing plant operated by JCO in Tokai-mura, Japan and the criticality remained for about 20 h. Almost all doses to the neighbouring residents were brought by neutrons and gamma rays emitted from the facility rather than fission products released to the environment. External doses in the environment were evaluated using radiation monitoring data and radiation transport calculation. A pattern of the dose rate evolution was modelled based on the records of gamma ray monitors in the JCO facilities. Relations between the ambient dose equivalent rates of neutrons/gamma rays and the distance from the facility were determined from the monitoring data obtained around the accident site. Conversion from the ambient dose equivalent to the effective dose equivalent was made assuming the energy spectra calculated by the radiation transport code, ANISN. It was estimated that the people who stayed outside the 350 m zone would receive doses of less than 1 mSv.     

Evaluation of 4-nonylphenols and 4-tert-octylphenol contamination of fish in rivers by laboratory accumulation and excretion experiments

Laboratory accumulation and excretion experiments of 4-nonylphenols (NP) and 4-tert-octylphenol (OP) were performed for killifish (Oryzias latipes). The bioconcentration factors (BCF, wet weight) in the whole fish were mean +/- SD of 167 +/- 23 (n = 4) for NP and 261 +/- 62 (n = 4) for OP. The biological half-lives in the whole fish were 9.9 h for NP and 7.7 h for OP. Parallel to the laboratory experiments, field survey on the chemicals contamination for water and ayu fish (Plecoglossus altivelis) from rivers flowing into Lake Biwa was performed. The contamination was not so high in agreement with the laboratory experimental data and the field BCF values (wet weight) in the ayu fish were 21 +/- 15 (n = 8) for NP and 297 +/- 194 (n = 3) for OP.     

Fabrication of (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O/sub 3/ thin-film arrayed waveguide grating

The design and fabrication of an 8-ch, 500 GHz-spacing arrayed waveguide grating on (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O₃ has been successfully achieved for the first time. An insertion loss of 22.1 dB, including a 10 dB coupling loss, and an adjacent crosstalk of -23.1 dB have been obtained. The device is expected to be monolithically integrated into high-speed optical switches to form integrated chips such as a reconfigurable add-drop multiplexer     

Random fuzzy multi-objective linear programming: Optimization of possibilistic value at risk (pVaR)

This paper considers multiobjective linear programming problems (MOLPP) where random fuzzy variables are contained in objective functions and constraints. A new decision making model optimizing possibilistic value at risk (pVaR) is proposed by incorporating the concept of value at risk (VaR) into possibility theory. It is shown that the original MOLPPs involving random fuzzy variables are transformed into deterministic problems. An interactive algorithm is presented to derive a satisficing solution for a decision maker (DM) from among a set of Pareto optimal solutions. Each Pareto optimal solution that is a candidate of the satisficing solution is exactly obtained by using convex programming techniques. A simple numerical example is provided to show the applicability of the proposed methodology to real-world problems with multiple objectives in uncertain environments.     

A molecular dynamics study of bubble nucleation in liquid oxygen with impurities

The present study investigates bubble nucleation in liquid oxygen with dissolved impurities (nitrogen or helium molecules) using molecular dynamics simulations. When the mole fraction of impurities is 0.05, there is a fundamental difference in the bubble nucleation mechanism between the two dissolved impurities cases; vaporization in the homogeneous bulk makes a bubble in the case of a nitrogen‐dissolved liquid while phase separation of impurities and liquid molecules makes a nucleus in the case of a helium‐dissolved liquid. Fluctuations can cause local voids, which in turn can grow to be bubbles, and this effect is stronger in the case of a helium‐dissolved liquid with a lower mole fraction (0.01) than in the case of a nitrogen‐dissolved liquid with a higher mole fraction (0.05). From these results, we conclude that helium molecules have a much stronger action to raise the bubble formation pressure compared with nitrogen. In this paper, the kinetically‐defined critical nucleus, which is a very important factor in quantitatively evaluating the nucleation mechanism, is also estimated through the calculation of the size change rate of each nucleus. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 34(7): 514–526, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20082     

A High Performance LSI Digital Signal Processor for Communication

This paper describes a newly developed CMOS LSI DSP (FDSP3). It has a powerful multiplier, which operates at a rate of 10 M-operations/s, almost twice as fast as the fastest existing LSI DSP's. Some key techniques to attain these high performance characteristics of the DSP are described. Suitable memory capacities of the RAM and ROM were analyzed as a function of the operational capability of the DSP. These were reflected in the design of the FDSP3. To assist in the development of the program, support tools have been developed. A Pascal based cross compiler and an on-line debugging tool are described in some detail.     

A novel method for induction and detection of anaphylactic reaction using the mouse abdominal wall (AW method)

We found that an antigen-specific anaphylaxis was induced by antigen challenge to the abdominal wall, ear auricle, or subcutaneous tissue in mice sensitized 9 days previously with antigen and adjuvant. The anaphylactic reaction was detected by vascular permeability at the injected site 7 minutes after challenge, which was the best time for estimation. A novel method (AW method) for induction and detection of the anaphylactic reaction in mice was established using the abdominal wall as the challenge site. This method could detect the anaphylactic response in mice 1 to 3 weeks after sensitization. The increase in vascular permeability was completely inhibited by administration of diphenhydramine.     

Magnetically Ordered State of Cold Fermions on a Decorated Square Lattice

We study two-component ultracold fermions with repulsive interactions, which are loaded into a decorated square lattice. By combining the real-space dynamical mean-field theory with the numerical renormalization group method, we discuss magnetic properties in the system. It is clarified how the ferromagnetically ordered ground state, which is stabilized by a flat band mechanism, is adiabatically connected to the ferrimagnetically ordered state expected in the strong coupling limit.     

Optical triode switch module with a nonlinear etalon

An all-optical device in which a nonlinear etalon is operated stably as a triode switch at a high on-off ratio is discussed. A nonlinear etalon is sandwiched between two quarter-pitch GRIN (graded index) lenses. Detuning is adjusted by using the position-to-angle conversion feature of the lens. Two orthogonally polarized beams are used to obtain a high on-off ratio (~10:1) even for a weak signal beam by completely separating a control beam from an output beam