Logic programming in tensor spaces

Annals of Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence - This paper introduces a novel approach to computing logic programming semantics. First, a propositional Herbrand base is represented in a vector...     

BIO SKIN Urban Cooling Facade

Numbering 65, Nikken Sekkei's research group is the size of many substantial practices. Tomohiko Yamanashi, Tatsuya Hatori, Yoshito Ishihara and Norihisa Kawashima at Nikken Sekkei Ltd and Katsumi Niwa at the Nikken Sekkei Research Institute (NSRI) describe the unique collaborative processes that make the NSRI's contribution essential to any Nikken projects requiring the development of cutting-edge technology or urban planning proposals. Here, they detail the development of BIO SKIN, an innovative facade system developed for the Sony Research and Development Center in Tokyo, which addresses the urban heat island effect, one of the main environmental research areas of the NSRI. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Novel properties of new type conducting and insulating polymers andtheir composites

Novel properties of recently developed conducting and insulating polymers and their composites are discussed. Properties of conducting polymer whose main chains are composed of unsaturated π-bonds depend strongly on the main chain structure, substituent and also molecular dopants. Various applications of conducting polymers such as electroluminescence (EL) elements, electrolyte capacitors, photoconductors, photovoltaic cells, superconductors and insulators at cryogenic temperature, are discussed by taking effects of molecular dopants such as C₆₀ into consideration. A new type of insulating polymer, syndiotactic polypropylene prepared by newly developed metallocene catalysts has been studied and found to exhibit much superior electrical, thermal and mechanical characteristics compared with those of conventional isotactic polypropylene, atactic polypropylene and polyethylene. These excellent characteristics originate from lower crystallinity, smaller spherulites and different crystal lattice than in isotactic polypropylene. Negligible degradation of syndiotactic polypropylene by contact with copper is interpreted in terms of difference of catalysts and suppression of diffusion of copper cation. New types of conducting polymer, insulating polymer composites were prepared. Their conductivity was controlled over more than 10 orders of magnitude by small amounts of a conducting polymer, polypyrrole, which can be interpreted in terms of the percolation model depending on the shape and density of polypyrrole coated insulating polymer particles. Nonlinear current-voltage characteristics were also studied     

Measurement of the isotopic abundance of boron-10 by inductively coupled plasma-quadrupole mass spectrometry

This article describes the method for measuring the isotopic abundance of ¹⁰B in nuclear grade boron carbide using inductively coupled plasma-quadrupole mass spectrometry (ICP-QMS). The results of investigation revealed that both the integration time and the dwell time have a major influence on the reproducibility of ICP-QMS measurements. As a result of optimization of the measurement conditions, reproducibility below 0.2% relative standard deviation (RSD) (0.17% RSD maximum) was achieved. In addition, the measured value of the isotopic abundance of ¹⁰B for each sample well agreed with the values measured by the TIMS. Thus, the method described in the present investigation was very effective in the analysis of isotopic abundance of ¹⁰B in B₄C or H₃BO₃. The results of this study suggest that ICP-QMS could be applied to the precise analysis of the isotopic abundance of ¹⁰B required in the field of nuclear applications.     

Study on skin roughness caused by surfactants: II. Correlation between protein denaturation and skin roughness

An attempt to determine protein denaturing potency of typical surfactants has been made by measuring specific rotation of bovine serum albumin. The potencies obtained were examined in relation to the intensities of skin roughness in vivo caused by the surfactants, and a noticeable correlation was found between them. This fact also suggested that the cause of skin roughness may be attributed to a certain extent to adsorption of surfactants. In addition, this technique is very useful in predicting the skin roughening potency of a surfactant without using human skin.     

Beat Noise Mitigation of Spectral Amplitude Coding OCDMA Using Heterodyne Detection

In order to relax the limitation of the number of multiplexed signal lights caused by beat noise between signal lights, we investigate the applicability of a heterodyne detection technique to a spectral amplitude coding optical code division multiple access scheme. In this investigation, for the first time, we found analytically that the optical frequency chips that form parts of the signal and local lights require uniform phase differences even for envelope detection. We also confirm this requirement and our theoretical analysis experimentally.     

Effects of Water Content Distribution on Hydraulic Conductivity of Prehydrated GCLS against Calcium Chloride Solutions

When geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) are applied as bottom liners at waste containment facilities, they are naturally prehydrated by absorbing moisture in the underlying base layers. In order to evaluate the effects of cations contained in waste leachates, this study investigated the effects of the water content distribution of the GCLs prehydrated with actual soils on their hydraulic conductivities against CaCl₂ solutions. The “prehydration tests”, which were conducted prior to the hydraulic conductivity tests, showed that the water content distribution of the prehydrated GCLs depends on the properties of the GCLs and the base layers. In particular, drastic differences between GCLs with powdered bentonite and GCLs with granular bentonite were observed in the prehydration water content and its distribution. Prehydrated GCLs with powdered bentonite had a higher water content and a more homogenous distribution than those with granular bentonite. The hydraulic conductivity tests showed that most of the prehydrated GCLs exhibit a low hydraulic conductivity of k?1.0×10^-8 cm/s against CaCl₂ solutions with 0.1-0.5 M. However, GCLs with granular bentonite may be difficult to homogeneously prehydrate and exhibit an unstable hydraulic conductivity, which varies from k=2.9×10^-9 cm/s to k=1.5×10^-6 cm/s. The homogeneity of the water content distribution has been considered an important factor to obtain a required barrier performance under prehydration conditions, which are naturally generated in actual sites.     

Small eddies observed in Lake Superior using SAR and sea surface temperature imagery

Making use of the fine resolution of satellite SAR imagery, we observe small eddies during the spring and summer months in several locations in Lake Superior. During these months there is a thermal gradient between warmer nearshore waters and colder offshore waters which enhances cyclonic coastal currents. Using spaceborne SAR imagery from the European Space Agency's ERS-1 and ERS-2 missions from 1992 to 1998, we observe small eddies, identifying and mapping basic eddy characteristics including diameter, location, and rotational sense. In total, 45 eddies were located, of which 41 were cyclonic and 4 anticyclonic. Average diameter was 9.8 km and average distance to shore was 8.1 km. Based on sea surface temperature data from AVHRR, the eddies are located within the region of sharp thermal gradients of order 3–5 °C per 3 km. Spatial and temporal coverage was uneven, however, more eddies were seen in SAR images taken in late summer along the southern and eastern shores as well as areas where the boundary current interacts with topographic features including islands and promontories.     

Effects of coal rank and reaction conditions upon coprocessing coal with waste tyre

It is well known that the amount of waste tyre increases every year, and a numerous amount of waste tyre is landfilled or dumped all over the world, which causes environmental problems, such as destruction of natural places and the risk of fires. Coprocessing waste tyre and coal is considered as one of the effective processing methods of both materials. Upon coprocessing lower rank coal (Wyoming, C; 68%) with waste tyre, the synergistic effects to upgrading, such as the increase of oil yield and the decrease of residue yield, were appeared. However, the synergistic effects were not observed on coprocessing two kinds of higher rank coals with waste tyre. The reactions of coal with benzophenone were carried out to discuss the hydrogen donatability of coal. Conversion of benzophenone to diphenylmethane on the reaction with Wyoming coal was higher than those of higher rank coals. Accordingly, it was considered that the synergistic effects to upgrading upon coprocessing Wyoming coal with waste tyre were obtained owing to the enhancement of stabilization of radicals from tyre and Wyoming coal through the hydrogen donation from both tyre and Wyoming coal. The effects of reaction temperature and the amount of solvent upon coprocessing Wyoming coal with waste tyre were also discussed in this study.