Leak-tightness characteristics concerning the containment structures of the HTTR

The containment structures of the HTTR consist of the reactor containment vessel, the service area, and the emergency air purification system, which minimise the release of fission products in postulated accidents, which lead to fission product release from the reactor facilities. The reactor containment vessel is designed to withstand the temperature and pressure transients and to be leak-tight in the case of a rupture of the primary concentric hot-gas duct, etc. The pressure inside the service area is maintained at a negative pressure by the emergency air purification system. The emergency air purification system will also remove airborne radioactivity and will maintain a correct pressure in the service area.The leak-tightness characteristics of the containment structures are described in this paper. The measured leakage rates of the reactor containment vessel were enough less than the specified leakage limit of 0.1%/d confirmed during the commissioning tests and annual inspections. The service area was kept in a way that the design pressure becomes well below its allowable limitation by the emergency air purification system, which filters efficiency of particle removal and iodine removal well over the limited values.The obtained data demonstrate that the reactor containment structures were fabricated to minimise the release of fission products in the postulated accidents with fission product release from the reactor facilities.     

Electrochemical behaviors of uranium and plutonium at simultaneous recoveries into liquid cadmium cathodes

Experiments were conducted on simultaneous recovery of uranium and plutonium electrochemically into laboratory scale liquid cadmium cathodes (LCCs) at different U/Pu ratios in the salt phase, and the influence of the salt composition on the recovered amounts of uranium and plutonium, the morphologies of uranium and plutonium in the LCC, and the behavior of americium, which is present as a decay product of plutonium-241, were examined. As a result, it was shown that there is a threshold in the U/Pu ratio in the salt phase between 1/4.3 and 1/1.73 for the successful simultaneous recovery of uranium and plutonium up to 10 wt% in the LCC at high current efficiencies. In the LCC, uranium and plutonium existed in the forms of intermetallic compounds, (U, Pu)Cd₆ and (U, Pu)Cd₁₁, and also pure uranium metal. It was also revealed that americium associates with plutonium according to the separation factor during the LCC operation.     

Syndiotactic‐specific radical polymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide in toluene at low temperatures in the presence of silyl alcohols

The radical polymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide was carried out in toluene at low temperatures in the presence of silyl alcohols, such as triethylsilanol. Poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) with a racemo dyad content of 75% was obtained at ? 80 °C with a 4:1 triethylsilanol to monomer ratio loading. NMR analysis suggests that the mechanism for syndiotactic induction, in the presence of silyl alcohols, may be similar to that observed with alkyl alcohols. In this case, a 1:2 complex formation, via hydrogen bonding interactions, leads to the induction of syndiotactic specificity. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Performance evaluation of a visual management system for effective case transfer

Visual management (VM) has become an important management tool for the smooth management of global supply chains. The target of VM systems is to harmonise communication. For example, in the production sector, VM provides solutions for various issues such as the quick detection of an abnormal situation, continuous maintenance of a safe environment, prevention of an operation miss and knowledge sharing. However, the development of VM cases has been uncontrolled, which is considered problematic. A system for the strategic enhancement of VM is necessary. Recognising this need, this study presents a model for the performance evaluation of relevant cases and validates the utility of the model, which is the initial step in developing a strategic enhancement system for VM.     

Te concentration dependent photoemission and inverse-photoemission study of FeSe1?xTex

We have characterized the electronic structure of FeSe_1−xTe_x for various x values using soft x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (SXPES), high-resolution photoemission spectroscopy (HRPES) and inverse photoemission spectroscopy (IPES). The SXPES valence band spectral shape shows that the 2 eV feature in FeSe, which was ascribed to the lower Hubbard band in previous theoretical studies, becomes less prominent with increasing x. HRPES exhibits systematic x dependence of the structure near the Fermi level (E_F): its splitting near E_F and filling of the pseudogap in FeSe. IPES shows two features, near E_F and approximately 6 eV above E_F; the former may be related to the Fe 3d states hybridized with chalcogenide p states, while the latter may consist of plane-wave-like and Se d components. In the incident electron energy dependence of IPES, the density of states near E_F for FeSe and FeTe has the Fano lineshape characteristic of resonant behavior. These compounds exhibit different resonance profiles, which may reflect the differences in their electronic structures. By combining the PES and IPES data the on-site Coulomb energy was estimated at 3.5 eV for FeSe.     

Anthocyanins,but not Anthocyanidins,from Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) Alleviate Pruritus via Inhibition of Mast Cell Degranulation

Abstract: We have previously reported that bilberry anthocyanins exhibit an anti‐pruritic effect in a mouse model of allergic contact dermatitis. It has been reported that anthocyanins are particularly sensitive to thermal treatment and are easily hydrolyzed to anthocyanidins when exposed to high temperatures. The objective of this study was to compare the anti‐pruritic effect of anthocyanin‐rich quality‐controlled bilberry extract and anthocyanidin‐rich degraded extract using a mouse model of allergic contact dermatitis. BALB/c mice with allergic contact dermatitis induced by 4 weeks of repeated application of 2,4,6‐trinitro‐1‐chlorobenzene (TNCB) were administered Bilberon‐25 orally for 4 weeks after sensitization with TNCB. The effect of Bilberon‐25 on pruritus was evaluated by measurement of scratching behavior. RBL‐2H3 mast cells were used to investigate the effect of Bilberon‐25 on degranulation in 48/80‐stimulated mast cells. Compared with nonheated Bilberon‐25, the proportion of anthocyanins in heated Bilberon‐25 decreased, and the proportion of anthocyanidins was increased in heated‐time dependent manner. Treatment with non‐heated Bilberon‐25 significantly attenuated the TNCB‐induced increase in scratching behavior, whereas treatment with 2 h‐heated Bilberon‐25 did not. Moreover, 300 μg/mL nonheated Bilberon‐25 showed significant inhibition of degranulation in RBL‐2H3 mast cells, whereas 2 h‐heated Bilberon‐25 had no effect at any concentration studied. It is assumed that the inhibitory effect of bilberry anthocyanins on pruritus might be mediated, at least in part, by its inhibitory effect on mast cell degranulation. In conclusion, the anthocyanin‐rich but not anthocyanidin‐rich bilberry extract may be a useful dietary supplement for skin diseases involving pruritic symptoms, such as chronic allergic contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, and rhinitis.     

Synthesis of High-Molecular-Weight [60]Fullerene Pearl-Necklace Polyamides Derived from Equatorial [60]fullerenobisacetic Acid

Abstract

A series of [60]fullerene pearl-necklace polyamides, consisting of equatorial-[60]fullerenobisacetic acid and various chromophoric aromatic diamines, were synthesized by a phosphorylation route using large amounts of triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing reagents with stepwise addition of the condensing reagents. In the present polymers, [60]fullerene pearls and diamine linkers were attached to one another by cyclopropane connectors. The polyamides had weight-average molecular weights (M_w)of 4.5-5.0×10⁴ g/mol and inherent viscosities (n _inh) of 0.3-0.4 dL/g in N, N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) at 30 °C. They had glass transition temperatures at 30-125 °C and decomposition temperatures at 300-310 °C. The UV-VIS spectra in DMAc exhibited broad absorption with λ_max at 310-390 nm tailing to longer wavelengths.     

A Study of Mutual Coupling between Vertical Grounding Electrodes

This paper investigates the mutual grounding impedance between vertical grounding electrodes based on field measurements and FDTD simulations. In the case of vertical electrodes, the mutual impedance between the electrodes is almost completely independent of the electrode length, and thus the induced voltage is nearly constant as the electrode length becomes longer. This characteristic is different from that of an overhead conductor, where the electromagnetic‐induced voltage is proportional to the conductor length. The greater the separation distance between the electrodes, the smaller the induced voltage, as in the case of an overhead conductor. The propagation speed increases as the separation increases. It is found that the speed is not necessarily proportional to the inverse of the relative permittivity of the earth.