Electrochemical window of molten LiCl-KCl-CaCl2 and the Ag/Ag reference electrode

The electrochemical window of an LiCl-KCl-CaCl₂ eutectic melt (52.3:11.6:36.1 mol%) was determined by cyclic voltammetry and open-circuit potentiometry at 723-873 K. The reaction at the anodic limit was confirmed to be Cl₂ gas evolution. The reaction at the cathodic limit was found to be a liquid Ca-Li alloy formation on the basis of ICP analysis of the deposits. An Ag⁺/Ag reference electrode separated with a Pyrex membrane showed good stability for more than 1 week. The standard electrode potential of Ag⁺/Ag was determined in the temperature range of 723-823 K by measuring the potential of a silver electrode in different concentrations of Ag⁺ ions.     

Preparation of ultrasmooth and defect-free 4H-SiC(0001) surfaces by elastic emission machining

In this work, elastic emission machining (EEM), which is a precise surface-preparation technique using chemical reactions between the surfaces of work and fine powder particles, is applied to the flattening 4H-SiC (0001) surface. Prepared surfaces are observed and characterized by optical interferometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). The obtained images show that the processed surface has atomic-level flatness, and the subsurface damage and surface scratches of the preprocessed surface are almost entirely removed.     

A time-dependent threshold condition to determine the onset of AIDS

This study first considers the effects of “uninfectious” HIV-1 due to fatal mutations, and then analysis reveals that AIDS develops when the number of HIV-1 strains, i.e., antigenic diversity, is above a “time-dependent” threshold. This result is interesting because it suggests the possibility that the onset of AIDS could be dynamically determined. This dynamic behavior of the threshold may make the prediction of AIDS development difficult.     

Antibody-based computing

An application of the antibody’s flexible recognition (i.e. multi-reactivity) to antigenic epitopes to a combinatorial computing is just getting started. The present study discusses an antibody-based computation algorithm to solve a combinatorial problem: the stable marriage problem. The stable marriage problem supposes n men and n women, and each person ranks all members of the opposite sex in a strict order of preference. Under given preference lists, to detect all of “stable” n couples including no affair pairs means to solve this problem. Our algorithm replaces a man and a woman with an antigenic epitope and an antibody respectively, and re-scales a man (woman)’s preference to a woman (man) as strength of a binding affinity between an epitope to the man and an antibody to the woman. Under these settings, we demonstrate a parallel progression of immune reactions can solve the stable marriage problem. This work was presented in part at the 13th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 31–February 2, 2008     

Emergence of observable rules in a spatial game system

This study focuses on player’s strategies observed from outside our original spatial game iterated by players, each of which is placed in a lattice site on a two-dimensional square lattice. A particularity of the game lies in the fact that a player’s strategy is not given, but is constructed dynamically in response to the spatial pattern of the player’s actions. This means that the strategy can evolve in time. However, the simulations revealed unexpected results. It was found that all the strategies observed from outside did not evolve, but were fixed in time. This article enumerates all the observed strategies in detail, and examines their characteristics.     

Boiling refrigerant‐type panel cooler (refrigerant circulation and cooling performance)

We have developed a new compact boiling refrigerant type panel cooler. It is a closed two‐phase loop thermosiphon constructed with heat exchanger cores for an automobile air conditioning system. We confirmed higher performance of the natural refrigerant circulation type and tried to optimize the size of the refrigerant path in the boiling core by observing the internal refrigerant flow and successfully achieved much higher cooling performance. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 33(2): 94–105, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20003     

Brivaracetam and Levetiracetam Suppress Astroglial L-Glutamate Release through Hemichannel via Inhibition of Synaptic Vesicle Protein

To explore the pathophysiological mechanisms of antiseizure and adverse behavioural/psychiatric effects of brivaracetam and levetiracetam, in the present study, we determined the effects of brivaracetam and levetiracetam on astroglial L-glutamate release induced by artificial high-frequency oscillation (HFO) bursts using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography. Additionally, the effects of brivaracetam and levetiracetam on protein expressions of connexin43 (Cx43) and synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) in the plasma membrane of primary cultured rat astrocytes were determined using a capillary immunoblotting system. Acutely artificial fast-ripple HFO (500 Hz) burst stimulation use-dependently increased L-glutamate release through Cx43-containing hemichannels without affecting the expression of Cx43 or SV2A in the plasma membrane, whereas acute physiological ripple HFO (200 Hz) stimulation did not affect astroglial L-glutamate release or expression of Cx43 or SV2A. Contrarily, subchronic ripple HFO and acute pathological fast-ripple HFO (500 Hz) stimulations use-dependently increased L-glutamate release through Cx43-containing hemichannels and Cx43 expression in the plasma membrane. Subchronic fast-ripple HFO-evoked stimulation produced ectopic expression of SV2A in the plasma membrane, but subchronic ripple HFO stimulation did not generate ectopic SV2A. Subchronic administration of brivaracetam and levetiracetam concentration-dependently suppressed fast-ripple HFO-induced astroglial L-glutamate release and expression of Cx43 and SV2A in the plasma membrane. In contrast, subchronic ripple HFO-evoked stimulation induced astroglial L-glutamate release, and Cx43 expression in the plasma membrane was inhibited by subchronic levetiracetam administration, but was not affected by brivaracetam. These results suggest that brivaracetam and levetiracetam inhibit epileptogenic fast-ripple HFO-induced activated astroglial transmission associated with hemichannels. In contrast, the inhibitory effect of therapeutic-relevant concentrations of levetiracetam on physiological ripple HFO-induced astroglial responses probably contributes to the adverse behavioural/psychiatric effects of levetiracetam.     

Rescue jack system applying hydrogen-absorbing alloys as a pressure source

This paper presents a flexible and compact rescue jack system that uses a hydrogen-absorbing alloy as its pressure source. The jack system comprises a container for the hydrogen-absorbing alloy and an end effector thin enough to be applied within a 2 mm-thick gap, made of a fiber-reinforced rubber bag. The hydrogen-absorbing alloy (LaNi_4.45Co_0.5Mn_0.05), whose plateau pressure was set to near atmospheric pressure at 25 °C, released hydrogen gas when heated to 50 °C. Experiments showed the system could lift 100 kg at moderate speed when the alloy container was placed in hot water (50 °C). Moreover, the jack system could maintain a 50 mm lift of 100 kg for nearly 12 h—performance comparable with that of an air jack. This clearly indicates the fiber-reinforced rubber bag is a suitable end effector of the actuator. The proposed jack system has good potential for prompt rescue activities conducted by non-professional operatives.     

Synthesis and characterization of 3D topological insulators: a case TlBi(S1?xSex)2

In this article, practical methods for synthesizing Tl-based ternary III-V-VI₂ chalcogenide TlBi(SSe_x)₂ are described in detail, along with characterization by x-ray diffraction and charge transport properties. The TlBi(SSe_x)₂ system is interesting because it shows a topological phase transition, where a topologically nontrivial phase changes to a trivial phase without changing the crystal structure qualitatively. In addition, Dirac semimetals whose bulk band structure shows a Dirac-like dispersion are considered to exist near the topological phase transition. The technique shown here is also generally applicable for other chalcogenide topological insulators, and will be useful for studying topological insulators and related materials.