IMPROVEMENT OF TYPE IV CRACKING RESISTANCE OF 9Cr HEAT RESISTING STEEL WELDMENT BY BORON ADDITION

Creep lives of high Cr ferritic heat resisting steel weldments decrease due to Type Ⅳ fracture, which occurs as a result of formation and growth of creep voids and cracks on grain boundaries in fine-grained heat affected zone (HAZ). Because boron is considered to suppress the coarsening of grain boundary precipitates and growth of creep voids, we have investigated the effect of boron addition on the creep properties of 9Cr steel weldments. Four kinds of 9Cr3WSCoVNb steels with boron content varying from 4.7×10-5 to 1.8×10-4 and with nitrogen as low as 2.0×10-5 were prepared. The steel plates were welded by gas tungsten arc welding and crept at 923K. It was found that the microstructures of HAZ were quite different from those of conventional high Cr steels such as P91 and P92, namely the fine-grained HAZ did not exist in the present steel weldments. Boron addition also has the effect to suppress coarsening of grain boundary carbides in HAZ during creep. As a result of these phenomena, the welded join     

Identification and characterization of a major lysosomal membrane glycoprotein, LGP85/LIMP II in mouse liver

To develop a less reactogenic but equally immunogenic vaccine, this study of 91 human volunteers compared the safety and immunogenic potency of a new, cell culture-derived vaccinia virus vaccine administered intradermally and intramuscularly with the licensed vaccinia vaccine administered by scarification. Cutaneous pox lesions developed in a higher proportion of scarification vaccinees. Scarification and intradermal vaccine recipients who developed cutaneous pox lesions had more local reactions but also achieved significantly higher cell-mediated and neutralizing antibody responses than those who did not develop pox lesions. Although less reactogenic, intradermal or intramuscular administration of vaccinia vaccine without the concomitant development of a cutaneous pox lesion induced lower immune responses.     

A new solution for splay‐to‐bend transition in OCB mode with a twisted area

Abstract— Quick, stable transition from splay‐to‐bend alignment in optically compensated bend (OCB) mode is crucial for practical use. This has been achieved by surface treating part of a pixel with a chiral dopant to induce a twist alignment while controlling the twist direction. The effectiveness of this new method was confirmed in a prototype TFT‐LCD panel.     

Immunohistochemical evaluation of thymidylate synthase in gastric carcinoma using a new polyclonal antibody: the clinical role of thymidylate synthase as a prognostic indicator and its therapeutic usefulness

BACKGROUND: Before this study was conducted, the clinical and therapeutic significance of immunohistochemical evaluation of thymidylate synthase (TS) in patients with gastric carcinoma had not yet been clarified. METHODS: TS was immunohistochemically evaluated in 134 gastric carcinomas using anti-TS antibody. TS expression, 11 clinicopathologic variables, and survival were studied, and the correlations among them were investigated. RESULTS: The groups with high and low TS levels consisted of 56 and 78 patients, respectively. Granular cytoplasmic staining patterns of tumor cells were produced by immunohistochemical staining of the gastric carcinoma tissues. The grade of TS staining was significantly correlated with three clinicopathologic variables: depth of invasion, peritoneal metastasis, and stage of the carcinoma (P < 0.05). A univariate analysis revealed that the 5-year survival was significantly better for the low TS group than for the high TS group (P < 0.05): 65.2% for the low TS group and 43.2% for the high TS group. The group with high grade TS staining who received chemotherapy because of the advanced stage of their disease had worse prognoses even if they received adjuvant chemotherapy. A multivariate analysis revealed that four variables (peritoneal metastasis, lymphatic invasion, liver metastasis, and TS staining grade) independently contributed to survival (P < 0.05). The hazard ratio for the group with low grade TS staining was 0.464 compared with the group with high grade staining. CONCLUSIONS: The immunohistochemical evaluation of TS using this anti-TS antibody may be clinically and therapeutically useful in determining the prognosis of gastric carcinoma patients.     

Resonant s.a.w. filter using surface shear wave mode on LiTaO3 substrate

A low-loss narrow band (below 3%) resonant filter has been achieved using twin-turn reflectors and a surface shear wave mode on 36° YX LiTaO3 substrate.     

Epithelial Cell Transformation and Senescence as Indicators of Genome Aging: Current Advances and Unanswered Questions

The recent advances in deciphering the human genome allow us to understand and evaluate the mechanisms of human genome age-associated transformations, which are largely unclear. Genome sequencing techniques assure comprehensive mapping of human genetics; however, understanding of gene functional interactions, specifically of time/age-dependent modifications, remain challenging. The age of the genome is defined by the sum of individual (inherited) and acquired genomic traits, based on internal and external factors that impact ontogenesis from the moment of egg fertilization and embryonic development. The biological part of genomic age opens a new perspective for intervention. The discovery of single cell-based mechanisms for genetic change indicates the possibility of influencing aging and associated disease burden, as well as metabolism. Cell populations with transformed genetic background were shown to serve as the origin of common diseases during extended life expectancy (superaging). Consequently, age-related cell transformation leads to cancer and cell degeneration (senescence). This article aims to describe current advances in the genomic mechanisms of senescence and its role in the spatiotemporal spread of epithelial clones and cell evolution.     

Identification of plant model of linear induction motors for a traction system intended for use in a high‐performance controller

A linear induction motor (LIM) is suitable for use in trains. The motor can be used in both wheel‐suspended and contact‐less types such as the Linear Metro and HSST trains in Japan. The LIM has end winding as well as asymmetrical winding. The end effect is a major problem in the LIM, and it makes the analysis, design, and control of motors difficult. This paper describes a method that combines numerical analysis and the equivalent circuit for the LIM in order to design a high‐performance controller for the LIM that includes the end effect. A sample basic field‐oriented control scheme that is based on the plant model is applied to the LIM in order to check the control performance. The theory of rotary induction motors is used for verification. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 179(2): 44–54, 2012; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21171     

System for augmented human–robot interaction through mixed reality and robot training by non-experts in customer service environments

Human–robot interaction during general service tasks in home or retail environment has been proven challenging, partly because (1) robots lack high-level context-based cognition and (2) humans cannot intuit the perception state of robots as they can for other humans. To solve these two problems, we present a complete robot system that has been given the highest evaluation score at the Customer Interaction Task of the Future Convenience Store Challenge at the World Robot Summit 2018, which implements several key technologies: (1) a hierarchical spatial concepts formation for general robot task planning and (2) a mixed reality interface to enable users to intuitively visualize the current state of the robot perception and naturally interact with it. The results obtained during the competition indicate that the proposed system allows both non-expert operators and end users to achieve human–robot interactions in customer service environments. Furthermore, we describe a detailed scenario including employee operation and customer interaction which serves as a set of requirements for service robots and a road map for development. The system integration and task scenario described in this paper should be helpful for groups facing customer interaction challenges and looking for a successfully deployed base to build on.     

Fast chemical vapor deposition of microcrystalline silicon by applying magnetic field to hollow electrode enhanced radio frequency glow plasma

Fast chemical vapor deposition of microcrystalline silicon by applying magnetic field to hollow electrode enhanced radio frequency (rf) glow plasma has been investigated. We have already developed a plasma generation technique called hollow electrode enhanced rf glow plasma transportation (HEEPT). In this study, we equipped a HEEPT system with a hollow cylinder shaped permanent magnet around an orifice prepared at the center of the counter electrode. The plasma was characterized by plasma emission spectroscopy. Silicon thin films were deposited on a glass substrate. It was found that increasing the magnetic flux density resulted in increasing plasma emission intensity, film deposition rate, and crystallinity. The maximum deposition rate of 6.9 nm/s was achieved with high crystallinity and photo-sensitivity at a plasma excitation frequency of 13.56 MHz, a substrate temperature of 300 °C and a magnetic flux density of 75 mT. Our results indicate that the magnetic field is effective in promoting fast chemical vapor deposition of microcrystalline silicon thin films with photo-sensitivity using the HEEPT technique. We consider that the effectiveness is due to a decrease of electron temperature caused by drift motion of electrons in the magnetic field inside the orifice.