Investigation on the viscoelasticity of optical glass in ultraprecision lens molding process

Glass molding press is an efficient manufacturing technology for ultraprecision optical elements with complex shapes. In glass molding, viscoelastic property of glass is an essential aspect that determines the glass deformation behavior around the molding temperature. In this paper, viscoelasticity of glass has been measured experimentally by uniaxially compressing cylindrical glass preforms above the glass transition temperature using an ultraprecision glass molding machine. The elastic modulus and viscosity of glass were obtained by curve fitting techniques using the Burgers model and the Maxwell model for creep and stress relaxation, respectively. Based on the thermo mechanical and viscoelastic parameters obtained from experiments, finite element model simulations of the glass molding process were performed, which can be used to visualize the stress/strain distribution and to predict the residual stress in glass.     

Flying Laser Range Sensor for Large-Scale Site-Modeling and Its Applications in Bayon Digital Archival Project

We have been conducting a project to digitize the Bayon temple, located at the center of Angkor-Thom in the kingdom of Cambodia. This is a huge structure, more than 150 meters long on all sides and up to 45 meters high. Digitizing such a large-scale object in fine detail requires developing new types of sensors for obtaining data of various kinds related to irregular positions such as the very high parts of the structure occluded from the ground. In this article, we present a sensing system with a moving platform, referred to as the Flying Laser Range Sensor (FLRS), for obtaining data related to these high structures from above them. The FLRS, suspended beneath a balloon, can be maneuvered freely in the sky and can measure structures invisible from the ground. The obtained data, however, has some distortion due to the movement of the sensor during the scanning process. In order to remedy this issue, we have developed several new rectification algorithms for the FLRS. One method is an extension of the 3D alignment algorithm to estimate not only rotation and translation but also motion parameters. This algorithm compares range data of overlapping regions from ground-based sensors and our FLRS. Another method accurately estimates the FLRS’s position by combining range data and image sequences from a video camera mounted on the FLRS. We evaluate these algorithms using a IS-based method and verify that both methods achieve much higher accuracy than previous methods.     

A study of SS size distribution during runoff and fractionation of phosphates depending on soil size in agricultural watershed.

Characterization of the differences and algal-available fractions of P in soils, suspended solids, and bottom sediments have been the main topics of research during the past decade. However, the size distribution and properties of particulate matter in runoff have not been much studied in Japan. Here we study particle size distribution during runoff and the chemical characteristics of P in each soil size fraction and relate them to land use. The temporal variation of particulate sizes during rain events is different in each watershed. Most particles have the size in the range of 10-100 microm. Also, the percentage of BAP in TP as well as percentage of PCOD in SS also varies temporally and spatially during runoff. To investigate how soil particles characteristics depend on land use, soil samples from two watersheds are examined. For particle size distribution and specific gravity, no significant difference among watersheds is found. However, C, N, and P content are indirectly proportional to the particle size, which means smaller particle size results in larger. H2O-extracted P, NH4Cl-extracted P, NAI-P, Apatite-P, Organic-P, and TP contents in each soil particle sample vary depending on particle size, land use, and watershed.     

Site‐Selective Iron(III) Chloride‐Catalyzed Arylation of 4‐Aryl‐4‐methoxy‐2,5‐cyclohexadienones for the Synthesis of Polyarylated Phenols

The iron(III) chloride‐catalyzed Friedel–Crafts arylation of 4‐aryl‐4‐methoxy‐2,5‐cyclohexadienones, which were easily prepared by the phenyliodine(III) diacetate (PIDA)‐mediated oxidation of 4‐arylphenols in methanol, proceeded site‐selectively to form meta‐terphenyl (2,4‐diarylphenol) derivatives in good yields. The subsequent PIDA‐mediated oxidation and iron(III) chloride‐catalyzed Friedel–Crafts arylation of the resulting products gave the corresponding 2,4,6‐triarylphenol derivatives. The present method provides useful highly substituted polyarylated compounds.

     

Cover Image,Volume 97, Issue 8

The cover image, by Yuko Shimamura et al, is based on the Research Article Inhibitory effects of Japanese horseradish (Wasabia japonica) on the formation and genotoxicity of a potent carcinogen, acrylamide, DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.8055 .

     

口服透明质酸对小鼠佐剂性关节炎的作用

目的:探讨口服透明质酸(HA)对小鼠佐剂性关节炎(AA)的治疗作用。方法:将40只6周龄的雄性小鼠随机分成4个小组,正常组、模型组、HA组和双氯芬酸钠组。通过给模型组、HA组和双氯芬酸钠组小鼠右后足注射弗氏完全佐剂(FCA)建立佐剂性关节炎模型,经连续4周口服透明质酸进行治疗后,分别对小鼠的体质量、足跖厚度进行测量,观察小鼠膝关节肿胀程度并评分,同时采用酶联免疫吸附实验(ELISA)检测小鼠血清中白介素-1(IL-1)和HA的含量。结果:口服HA能显著降低小鼠足跖厚度和关节炎指数,同时血清中IL-1和HA含量亦显著降低;并且各项指标与双氯芬酸钠无显著性差异。结论:口服透明质酸能有效地缓解小鼠膝关节的肿胀,降低血清中IL-1的含量,增强活动能力,因而对小鼠佐剂性关节炎具有良好的治疗作用。     

Nosocomial diarrhoea in the elderly due to enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens

Zinc is an important trace element for immune function. Here, we show that zinc addition in a serum- and lipopolysaccharide-free cell culture system leads to significantly enhanced levels of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and to expression of the corresponding mRNA in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Structurally related divalent cations like cobalt, nickel, and mercury also partially increase monokine secretion but to a much lower and thus insignificant extent. They fail to induce mRNA of TNF-alpha after 3 h of culture. Therefore, monokine induction is a zinc-specific effect influenced by the physicochemical properties of the ion. Confirmation of the unique significance of zinc for immune function provides a better understanding of the mechanisms of specific zinc-mediated immune modulation.     

Cancer chemoprevention with green tea catechins by targeting receptor tyrosine kinases

Recent studies indicate that receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), which play important roles in cell proliferation, are one of the possible targets of green tea catechins (GTCs) in cancer cell growth inhibition. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major catechin in green tea, inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in various types of cancer cells, including colorectal cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma cells, by blocking the activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family of RTKs. EGCG inhibits the activation of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) and VEGFR2, the other members of the RTK family, and this effect is also associated with the anticancer and chemopreventive properties of this agent. EGCG suppresses the activation of EGFR in part by altering membrane lipid organization and causing the subsequent inhibition of the dimerization and activation of this receptor. Preliminary trials have shown that GTCs successfully prevent the development and progression of precancerous lesions, such as colorectal adenomas, without causing severe adverse effects. The present report reviews evidence indicating that GTCs exert anticancer and chemopreventive effects by inhibiting the activation of specific RTKs, especially EGFR, IGF-1R, and VEGFR2, and concludes that targeting RTKs and their related signaling pathways by using tea catechins could be a promising strategy for the prevention of human cancers.     

A 0.65-ns, 72-kb ECL-CMOS RAM macro for a 1-Mb SRAM

An ultrahigh-speed 72-kb ECL-CMOS RAM macro for a 1-Mb SRAM with 0.65-ns address-access time, 0.80-ns write-pulse width, and 30.24-μm ² memory cells has been developed using 0.3-μm BiCMOS technology. Two key techniques for achieving ultrahigh speed are an ECL decoder/driver circuit with a BiCMOS inverter and a write-pulse generator with a replica memory cell. These circuit techniques can reduce access time and write-pulse width of the 72-kb RAM macro to 71% and 58% of those of RAM macros with conventional circuits. In order to reduce crosstalk noise for CMOS memory-cell arrays driven at extremely high speeds, a twisted bit-line structure with a normally on MOS equalizer is proposed. These techniques are especially useful for realizing ultrahigh-speed, high-density SRAM's, which have been used as cache and control storages in mainframe computers     

Expression of functional tissue factor on small vesicles of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated human vascular endothelial cells

An autopsy case of Sj?gren-Larsson syndrome (SLS), an 8-year-old boy, is presented with neuropathological investigations. Widespread deposition of 2 different types of unusual substances, stained lightly or strongly with periodic acid Schiff (PAS) was most conspicuous in this case. The first type of them, lightly stained with PAS at room temperature, was widely distributed in the central nervous system (CNS): the white matter of cerebrum and brainstem, subpial and subependymal glial layers, subpial space, perivascular space of small blood vessels, and their adjacent nervous tissue. The second type, strongly stained with PAS, small round or ellipsoid bodies, was found in the subpial, subependymal and perivascular glial layers. The first type of PAS-positive substances might be fatty alcohols or their metabolites, and the second type, some degraded products of lipids in astrocytic processes. Lipofuscin-like substances were accumulated in perivascular macrophages located around small blood vessels. Spheroid bodies (axonal swellings) were frequently observed in relay nuclei: lateral geniculate body (LGB), pontine nuclei, inferior olivary nuclei, posterior funicular nuclei, or cerebellar dentate nuclei. A lot of PAS-positive fine granules were contained in a spheroid body of LGB. Scarcity of myelinated nerve fibers was recognized in the cerebral and cerebellar white matter and the corticospinal tracts of spinal cord. Focal cortical dysgenesis, resembling that of unlayered polymicrogyria, was observed in bilateral insular cortices. Further histochemical studies are needed to explore the exact pathogenesis, but widespread deposition of PAS-positive substances in CNS may support the supposition that SLS is one of congenital errors of lipid metabolism.