Theoretical study of the adsorption of Cs,Cs+, I,I−, and CsI on C60 fullerene

Theoretical investigation for the adsorption of the cesium atom (Cs), the cesium iodide molecule (CsI), the iodine atom (I), the cesium cation (Cs⁺), and the iodide anion (I^?) onto the surface of a single fullerene molecule (C₆₀) are reported. A hybrid exchange–correlation functional using the Coulomb-attenuating method (CAM-B3LYP) is employed. The adsorption energies, i.e., the opposite of enthalpy change through adsorption, are calculated to be 143, 12, 9, 46, and 49 kJ mol^?1 for Cs, CsI, I, Cs⁺, and I^?, respectively. The equilibrium constant for Cs is calculated to be 7×10³ atm^?1 at the temperature of 1000 K and is seven orders of magnitude higher than that for CsI, indicating that the C₆₀ molecule adsorb the Cs atom highly selectively against the CsI molecule.     

A rod matrix compensator for small-field intensity modulated radiation therapy: a preliminary phantom study

A compensator made of a tungsten-based rod matrix has been proposed for small-field intensity modulated radiation therapy. The compensator was attached to a 6 MV linac gantry head. The proposed compensator could modulate the X-ray intensity with a step of 10% and a minimum transmission of 2.5%.     

Radiophotoluminescence dosimetry using a small spherical glass: a preliminary phantom study

A radiophotoluminescence dosimetry has been proposed using a spherical silver-activated phosphate glass with a diameter of 1.5 mm. A 6 MV photon dose of 2 Sv (2 Gy) was delivered to 14 spherical glass samples placed between two solid water phantoms at a depth of 10 cm. The samples were positioned within a 20 x 20 mm(2) centred at beam axis to ensure uniform dose absorption. A normalised output from a read-out system was obtained by simultaneously measuring luminescence from a non-irradiated reference and that from an irradiated reference to eliminate background contamination and time-varying fluctuation of the readout system, leading to a normalised standard deviation of 1.8%. A dose up to 3.5 Sv (3.5 Gy) was delivered to three spherical glass samples positioned between two solid water phantoms at a depth of 10 cm. The normalised output increased linearly with the applied dose.     

Purification and molecular cloning of an intracellular 3-hydroxybutyrate-oligomer hydrolase from Paucimonas lemoignei

An intracellular 3-hydroxybutyrate-oligomer hydrolase was purified from a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)-degrading bacterium, Paucimonas lemoignei. It hydrolyzed the 3-hydroxybutyrate dimer with the highest specific activity of any of the enzymes reported so far. The gene was cloned and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence showed that the enzyme is a homolog of the PhaZc of Ralstonia eutropha H16.     

Possible Roles of Calreticulin in Uterine Decidualization and Receptivity in Rats and Humans

Previous in vitro studies have suggested that calreticulin (CALR), which is responsible for the folding and quality control of glycoproteins, may be associated with decidualization. However, its precise role in regulating decidualization has not been explored in vivo. Here, we used pregnant rat models to examine endometrial CALR expression during the peri-implantation period. We also examined whether polypectomy, a procedure that could ameliorate infertility, alters the endometrial expression levels of CALR and several implantation factors in women diagnosed as infertile. In rats, uterine CALR was expressed at a high level at the implantation site, and a marked increase in CALR expression was observed in decidual cells of normal pregnancy. In addition, endometrial CALR expression was enhanced by either administration of estradiol-17β in the delayed implantation rat model or the artificial induction of decidualization in the pseudopregnant rat. In cultured stromal cells, siRNA-mediated silencing of CALR inhibited the decidual stimulus-induced expression of prolactin, decidual/trophoblast prolactin-related protein, and connexin 43. In humans, the endometrial expression levels of the mRNAs encoding CALR and the implantation-related factor insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-7 tended to increase after polypectomy. The strongest positive correlation between expression levels before polypectomy was observed for IGFBP-7 and CALR, and the strength of this correlation increased after the surgery. Thus, endometrial CALR may play a role in the formation of decidua, and the polypectomy of infertile patients may result in the co-operative expression of endometrial factors, including CALR, that could enhance endometrial receptivity.     

Development of an ultrafast X‐ray computed tomography scanner system: Application for measurement of instantaneous void distribution of gas–liquid two‐phase flow

An ultrafast X‐ray computed tomography (CT) scanner has been developed. This scanner overcomes problems that occur in a transient or unsettled state, which make the conventional CT scanner inappropriate. To reduce the scanning time, this X‐ray CT system uses electronic switching of electron beams for X‐ray generation instead of the mechanical motion adopted by conventional CT scanners. The mechanical motion is a major obstacle to improving scanning speed. A prototype system with a scanning time of 3.6 ms was initially developed and confirmed to measure the dynamic events of two‐phase flow. However, an increased scanning speed is generally required for practical use in the thermal hydraulics research field. Therefore, an advanced type which can operate under the scanning time of 0.5 ms and can measure two‐phase flow with a velocity up to 4 to 5 m/s was developed. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 29(3): 155–165, 2000     

Loop current characteristics of a thyristor-controlled series capacitor

This paper presents the results of an investigation on the loop current of a thyristor-controlled series capacitor (TCSC). The knowledge of loop current characteristics is important for understanding analytically the equivalent impedance of TCSC, estimating harmonics produced by TCSC, and determining ratings of the TCSC circuit components. However, little has been written on the loop current of TCSC circuit. Therefore, using a laboratory-scale TCSC installed on a laboratory power system, the TCSC currents and voltages were measured and analyzed to investigate the behavior of loop current. A mathematical model of TCSC was also developed to compare to the experimental results and further clarify the relationship between loop current and steady-state impedance characteristics, including effects of TCSC circuit component size on the characteristics. Capacitor voltage harmonics and their impact on the power system were also investigated. ©1998 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 125(1): 37–46, 1998     

Robot vision robust to changes of lighting conditions using a wide-dynamic-range visual sensor

We have developed a robust vision system for 2D positioning of industrial parts stable to changes of lighting conditions. A wide dynamic range vision sensor that we had developed previously was used to avoid the saturation of object images. Additionally, a gray scale pattern matching technique was employed for robust image processing. Performance of the system with a wide dynamic range vision sensor was investigated experimentally in comparison with that of a system with a conventional video camera. The probability of correct positioning of an object under changing lighting conditions, simulating those in a factory, was 100% for the wide dynamic range vision sensor and 83% for the conventional video camera. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the developed system, revealing that dynamic range expansion of the video cameras is very effective for realizing robust robot vision systems. © 1997 Scripta Technica, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 120(2): 34–40, 1997     

The content of tocopherols and oxidative quality of oils prepared from sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) seeds roasted in a microwave oven

Sunflower seeds ((Helianthus annuus were roasted for 6, 12, 20 or 30 min at a frequency of 2450 MHz using a domestic microwave oven. After the kernels were separated from the sunflower seeds, the quality characteristics and the compositions of the oils were investigated in relation to their tocopherol distributions, and they were further evaluated as compared with an unroasted oil sample. Only minor increases (p < 0.05) in chemical and physical changes of the oils, such as the carbonyl value, the p‐anisidine value and the color development, occurred at a prolonged roasting period. Significant decrease (p < 0.05) was observed in the amounts of phospholipids in the oils after microwave roasting. Nevertheless, compared to the original level, more than 92 wt‐% tocopherols still remained after 30 min of roasting. With a few exceptions, these results indicate that the exposure of sunflower seeds to microwaves for 12 min caused no significant (p < 0.05) loss or change in the content of tocopherols and polyunsaturated fatty acids in the kernels.     

Improving an immunoassay response to related polychlorinated biphenyl analytes by mixing antibodies

Immunoassays for detection of a class of closely related antigens, e.g., PCBs, have often been too specific (responding strongly to some members of the class and missing others) and no general method for adjusting the response has been described. In this paper, the difference in the response of a model immunoassay to different Kanechlors (Japanese commercial mixtures of PCBs, analogous to Aroclors in the United States) is reduced from 20- or 50-fold (depending on which antibody is used) to 3-fold when the antibodies are mixed at the proper ratio. A mathematical model based on competitive binding of two antibodies for up to four antigens has been developed and used to describe the assay performance and to predict optimum mix ratios for the antibodies used. The model (based on separate measurement of each antibody's effective Kd for each Kanechlor) provides an excellent fit to the measured mixed antibody assay response. The model is also successful in identifying cases where mixing monoclonal antibodies will not improve the response. It is thought the method described will have applicability in a variety of cases where the analytical goal is semiquantitative screening based on the total quantity of an unknown mixture of related compounds.