Coordinated expression of Hoxa-11 and Hoxa-13 during limb muscle patterning

The limb muscle precursor cells migrate from the somites and congregate into the dorsal and ventral muscle masses in the limb bud. Complex muscle patterns are formed by successive splitting of the muscle masses and subsequent growth and differentiation in a region-specific manner. Hox genes, known as key regulator genes of cartilage pattern formation in the limb bud, were found to be expressed in the limb muscle precursor cells. We found that HOXA-11 protein was expressed in the premyoblasts in the limb bud, but not in the somitic cells or migrating premyogenic cells in the trunk at stage 18. By stage 24, HOXA-11 expression began to decrease from the posterior halves of the muscle masses. HOXA-13 was expressed strongly in the myoblasts of the posterior part in the dorsal/ventral muscle masses and weakly in a few myoblasts of the anterior part of the dorsal muscle mass. Transplantation of the lateral plate of the presumptive wing bud to the flank induced migration of premyoblasts from somites to the graft. Under these conditions, HOXA-11 expression was induced in the migrating premyoblasts in the ectopic limb buds. Application of retinoic acid at the anterior margin of the limb bud causes duplication of the autopodal cartilage and transformation of the radius to the ulna, and at the same time induces duplication of the muscle pattern along the anteroposterior axis. Under these conditions, HOXA-13 was also induced in the anterior region of the ventral muscles in the zeugopod. These results suggest that Hoxa-11 and Hoxa-13 expression in the migrating premyoblasts is under the control of the limb mesenchyme and the polarizing signal(s). In addition, these results indicate that these Hox genes are involved in muscle patterning in the limb buds.     

Effects of Solvents in the Polyethylene Glycol Series on the Bonding of Copper Joints Using Ag2O Paste

The effects of reducing solvents on the bonding process using silver oxide paste in a copper joint were investigated. Three solvent types were tested: diethylene glycol (DEG), triethylene glycol (TEG), and polyethylene glycol (PEG). The strength of the joints was assessed by fracturing, which occurred at the interface of the copper oxide layer and the copper substrate in DEG and TEG samples and at the bonded interface in the PEG sample. Analysis of the samples revealed that, in the DEG and TEG samples, the copper substrate was oxidized during the bonding process, which compromised the shear strength of the joints. In contrast, the PEG sample exhibited nonuniform sintering of the silver layer while retaining good shear strength. It was found that the combination of DEG and PEG produced optimum shear strength in the copper joint, as PEG suppressed the growth of copper oxide and DEG promoted the formation of a dense sintered silver layer. The bonding strength achieved was higher than that of the gold-to-gold joint made using standard Pb-5Sn solder.     

Reduction of higher harmonic sequences in terminal voltage of an AC exciting synchronous generator using magnetically anisotropic slot wedges

This paper describes relationships between characteristics of a magnetically anisotropic slot wedge and voltage higher harmonics in an ac exciting synchronous generator terminal due to permeance ripple caused by an open-slot-type rotor. From the relationships obtained, practical guidelines were formulated for machine designs applying the magnetically anisotropic slot wedge. The results are as follows.

• 1 (1) Equivalent permeability of the magnetically anisotropic slot wedge became isotropic wedge permeability for air-gap flux ripple.
• 2 (2) Two ways were identified to reduce voltage-higher harmonics by using the slot wedges.
• 3 (3) The level of leakage flux passing through the anisotropic slot wedge was determined only by its permeability in the width direction.
• 4 (4) Effectiveness of the magnetic anisotropic slot wedges inserted into the stator slots was verified from experimental results using a model machine of the open- slot-type rotor.

     

日本彩色聚乙烯涂覆钢管的开发

试验了彩色聚乙烯涂覆钢管的耐腐蚀性和耐气候性，由于聚乙烯涂层隔绝水的作用，聚乙烯涂覆钢管具有优良的耐腐蚀性能，电阻绝缘值和优良的机械性能。建立了一个新的方式去研究分析聚乙烯抗老化剂消耗和在聚乙烯中的扩散。用有效测定的方法定量地预测彩色聚乙烯涂覆层的寿命，应用这些分析结果，不仅可使新的有色聚乙烯涂覆钢管在恶劣腐蚀环境介质情况下具有高的耐腐蚀性，而且有长的耐气候性。     

Basic study about cooperative movement between a human and an agent with entrainment

The use of an agent in the environment, as in medical treatment, welfare, the construction field, and the home, is examined. It is necessary for the agent to be able to work cooperatively with a human, and that may be a problem. Therefore, this study pays attention to the phenomenon that is called entrainment. This is the phenomenon where the rhythm of a certain person and the partner in the communication is synchronized. The purpose of this study is to perform a basic examination into applying an entrainment in order to realize cooperation in operations between a human and an agent. Since many human rhythms are expressed by a nonlinear oscillator, we simulated limited cycle oscillators, which are one of two nonlinear oscillators that cause interactions between agents, as the basic examination for this achievement. Consequently, entrainment of limited cycle oscillators with rhythms which differ has been checked in certain conditions. As a result, the possibility that cooperative movement could be gained was suggested.     

Cu-NMR study on high-T c cuprate La1.89Ca1.11Cu2O6+δ (La2126)

Cu-NMR spectra and the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate T ₁ ^-1 have been studied intensively on the bilayer type high-T_c cuprate La_1.89Ca_1.11Cu₂O₆₊ (La2126). The resonance line shift showed a monotonic decrease with lowering temperature in the normal state, indicating that this compound belongs to the lightly-doped region. The Curie-Weiss temperature dependence of (T₁T)^–1 in the normal state shows that the pseudo spin-gap does not always exist in the light-doped bilayer systems.     

Meshing curved wire‐frame models through energy minimization and packing of ellipses

In the initial phase of structural part design, wire‐frame models are sometimes used to represent the shapes of curved surfaces. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of a curved surface requires a well shaped, graded mesh that smoothly interpolates the wire frame. This paper describes an algorithm that generates such a triangular mesh from a wire‐frame model in the following two steps: (1) construct a triangulated surface by minimizing the strain energy of the thin‐plate‐bending model, and (2) generate a mesh by the bubble meshing method on the projected plane and project it back onto the triangulated surface. Since the mesh elements are distorted by the projection, the algorithm generates an anisotropic mesh on the projected plane so that an isotropic mesh results from the final projection back onto the surface. Extensions of the technique to anisotropic meshing and quadrilateral meshing are also discussed. The algorithm can generate a well‐shaped, well‐graded mesh on a smooth curved surface. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of dissolved natural thorium and uranium in Horonobe and Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory groundwater and its thermodynamic analysis

At two underground research laboratories situated at Horonobe and Mizunami, Japan, trace amounts of natural thorium and uranium dissolved in deep groundwater were investigated with the help of chemical pre-concentration method. The groundwater was sampled from underground boreholes under the geochemical condition of no atmospheric exposure, and the colloid contribution was checked by in situ two size-fractionated ultrafiltration systems. A rough decrease by half in the concentration after in situ filtration suggested the presence of natural colloids and suspended matter that were carriers of a portion of the elements. The Th and U concentrations in groundwater after 10 kDa filtration was evaluated as dissolved species, and was identified thermodynamically using existing hydrogeological and geochemical data, such as the mineral components in the groundwater at a given pH, ionic strength, concentration of co-existing ions, redox potential, and a hypothetical solubility-limiting solid phase. The crystalline solid phase of tetravalent thorium and uranium dioxides made the solubility very low compared with that of the amorphous phase.     

Resonance Effect on the Tunneling Reaction: H+H2→H2+H in Solid Hydrogen

The tunneling abstraction reaction: H+H₂H₂+H in -irradiated solid hydrogen has been studied using electron spin resonance (ESR) and electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy and gas-chromatography. The rate constant for the tunneling reaction in solid hydrogen was found to decrease with the increase in the concentration of ortho-H₂ molecules in solid hydrogen. We concluded that the decrease in the rate constant is due to the energy level mismatching between reactant species of H+H₂ trapped and product species of H₂+H trapped in the reverse induced by inhomogeneous intermolecular interactions between ortho-H² molecules in solid hydrogen. This result indicates that resonance effects play an important role in tunneling reactions in solids.