Active solution space and search on job‐shop scheduling problem

In this paper we propose a new searching method of Genetic Algorithm for the job‐shop scheduling problem (JSP). The coding method represents job number in order to decide a priority to arrange a job in the Gantt chart (called the ordinal representation with a priority) in JSP, and an active schedule is created by using left shift. We define an active solution at first. It is a solution that allows the creation of an active schedule without using left shift, and the setting of a defined active solution space. Next, we propose an algorithm, Genetic Algorithm with active solution space search (GA‐asol), which can create an active solution while solution is evaluated, in order to search the active solution space effectively. We applied it to some benchmark problems for comparison with other methods. The experimental results show good performance. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 154(4): 61–67, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20185     

Aminimides IV: Antimicrobial activity of 1,1,1-Tris (2-hydroxyethyl) amine-2-acylimides

The newest member of the aminimide family of surfactants was screened for antimicrobial activity. The present report supports past conclusions that chain lengths of C₁₄ or C₁₆ gave maximum activity to the aminimide derivative. When a number of hexadecane compounds with different polar groups were compared, the aminimide exhibited wide spectrum antimicrobial activity. Although the functional group was important, the length and character of the acyl chain also help to determine antimicrobial activity. A new amide antibiotic, Cerulenin, with a 4-keto-2-enyl chain, was more active than the unsaturated isomer. Thus, both the functional grup as well as the chain length contribute to biocidal activity.     

Changes in serum triiodothyronine, thyroxine, and thyrotropin during treatment with thyroxine in severe primary hypothyroidism

Organochlorine residues in starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) from 126 collection sites were monitored during the fall of 1974. DDE, DDT, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's), and benzene hexachloride were present in all samples. Dieldrin, heptachlor expoxide, hexachlorobenzene, and oxychlordane were present in approximately 97% of the samples. DDE, dieldrin, and PCB residues in starlings were significantly lower than they had been in 1972.     

Neuropharmacological studies of perimetazine

Neuropharmacological studies were undertaken to investigate the mode of action of perimetazine. 1) Sedation, hypothermia, muscle relaxation and other signs of central depressant effects were observed after perimetazine administration in the rabbit. 2) Neuro-muscular transmission was not affected by intravnous injection of perimetazine, but was slightly facilitated by a large dose of intraarterial injection of the drug 3) Perimetazine slightly depressed spinal reflex potentials in the spinal cat and markedly reduced them in the anaesthetized cat and the decerebrate cat. 4) Permetazine reduced decerebrate rigidity in the rabbit, and decreased muscle spindle discharges in the decrebrate cat. 5) Perimetazine had no effect on the response of superior cervical ganglion but suppressed the response of the cat nictitating membrane. 6) In the rabbit, perimetazine elicited a drowsy pattern in the spontaneous EEG and inhibited the EEG arousal response induced by auditory stimulation, but failed to depress the EEG arousal response induced by electric stimulation of the mesencephalic reticular formation. These results suggest that perimetazine has central nervous system depressent effects such as sedative and muscle relaxant effects, and its mode of action is similar to that of chlorpromazine.     

Effective constitutive parameters of a random medium containing small chiral spheres

We have analyzed the effective constitutive parameters for a random medium containing small chiral spheres embedded in an achiral background medium by using our approach. The approach is based on an unconventional multiple scattering method by which wave scattering can be systematically treated in a medium whose dielectric particles are randomly displaced from a uniformly ordered spatial distribution. We have clarified the characteristics of the effective medium parameters by changing the volume fraction and constitutive parameters of chiral spheres. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 148(1): 11–18, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10294     

Immunohistochemical demonstration of carcinogen-DNA adducts in tissues of rats given 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP): detection in paraffin-embedded sections and tissue distribution

A polyclonal antibody against 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP)-DNA adducts was raised for their immunohistochemical demonstration in paraffin-embedded sections. Specificity of this antibody was confirmed by competitive ELISA. Positive signals were immunohistochemically detected in acetone-fixed but not in formalin- or ethanol-fixed sections from F344 rats treated by gavage with a single dose of PhIP at 37.5-300 mg/kg and killed at 1, 2, and 7 days thereafter. Dose-dependent positive staining was observed in almost all organs of both sexes, including the colon, prostate, and mammary gland but largely independent of the tumor response. Repair activity, judged by disappearance of adducts with time, differed according to the organ or cell type. One exception was hepatocytes, the liver incidentally being a nontarget organ. The results suggest that the generated antibody is applicable for detection of cells targeted by PhIP in paraffin-embedded sections and also for the investigation of the mechanisms of PhIP-carcinogenesis.     

Optoelectronic matrix switch using heterojunction switching photodiodes

Heterojunction switching photodiodes (InGaAs/InP) were used to construct a 3×3 matrix switch. Isolation and cross-talk losses were better than 63 dB over a frequency range of 10 Hz to 400 MHz and 400 Mbit/s digital signals were switched with switching times shorter than 30 ns.     

A repairable system with partial and catastrophic failure modes

In this paper, we deal with a repairable system with partial and catastrophic failure modes. Laplace transforms of state probability for such a system are obtained by using the supplementary variable method.