Calculation of phase diagrams for the FeCl2, PbCl2, and ZnCl2 binary systems by using molecular dynamics simulation

Recently, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation has been widely employed as a very useful method for the calculation of various physicochemical properties in the molten slags and fluxes. In this study, MD simulation has been applied to calculate the structural, transport, and thermodynamic properties for the FeCl₂, PbCl₂, and ZnCl₂ systems using the Born—Mayer—Huggins type pairwise potential with partial ionic charges. The interatomic potential parameters were determined by fitting the physicochemical properties of iron chloride, lead chloride, and zinc chloride systems with experimentally measured results. The calculated structural, transport, and thermodynamic properties of pure FeCl₂, PbCl₂, and ZnCl₂ showed the same tendency with observed results. Especially, the calculated structural properties of molten ZnCl₂ and FeCl₂ show the possibility of formation of polymeric network structures based on the ionic complexes of ZnCl ₄ ²⁻ , ZnCl ₃ ⁻ , FeCl ₄ ²⁻ , and FeCl ₃ ⁻ , and these calculations have successfully reproduced the measured results. The enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs energy of mixing for the PbCl₂-ZnCl₂, FeCl₂-PbCl₂, and FeCl₂-ZnCl₂ systems were calculated based on the thermodynamic and structural parameters of each binary system obtained from MD simulation. The phase diagrams of the PbCl₂-ZnCl₂, FeCl₂-PbCl₂, and FeCl₂-ZnCl₂ systems estimated by using the calculated Gibbs energy of mixing reproduced the experimentally measured ones reasonably well.     

A study on constructing a neuro-interface using the concept of a virtual master–slave system

To ease the control of a nonholonomic robot by a non-expert, a neuro-interface is proposed by using the concept of a virtual master–slave system. The design procedure for the interface is elaborated for the control of nonholonomic two-wheeled robots. In particular, it is shown that if the coordinate transformation from the slave to the master is assumed to be known, the resultant inverse mapping of the master robot can be simply realized by a neural network (NN) with all linear units. The training of the NN is performed by an offline method. As a result, the effectiveness of the proposed method is shown for some simulations to solve a trajectory tracking control problem with a nonholonomic mobile robot.This work was presented, in part, at the 9th International Symposium on Artifical Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 28–30, 2004     

Adaptive actor-critic learning for the control of mobile robots by applying predictive models

In this paper, we propose two methods of adaptive actor-critic architectures to solve control problems of nonlinear systems. One method uses two actual states at time k and time k+1 to update the learning algorithm. The basic idea of this method is that the agent can directly take some knowledge from the environment to improve its knowledge. The other method only uses the state at time k to update the algorithm. This method is called, learning from prediction (or simulated experience). Both methods include one or two predictive models, which are assumed to be applied to construct predictive states and a model-based actor (MBA). Here, the MBA as an actor can be viewed as a network where the connection weights are the elements of the feedback gain matrix. In the critic part, two value-functions are realized as a pure static mapping, which can be reduced to a nonlinear current estimator by using the radial basis function neural networks (RBFNNs). Simulation results obtained for a dynamical model of nonholonomic mobile robots with two independent driving wheels are presented. They show the effectiveness of the proposed approaches for the trajectory tracking control problem.     

Cloning of a gene for D-sorbitol dehydrogenase from Gluconobacter oxydans G624 and expression of the gene in Pseudomonas putida IFO3738

We have cloned a novel gene for d-sorbitol dehydrogenase (SLDH), which efficiently converted D-sorbitol to L-sorbose, from Gluconobacter oxydans G624 (FERM BP-4415). A cosmid library of the genomic DNA was screened by assaying SLDH activity. The inserted DNA from a positive clone was downsized by subcloning into charomid and pUCP plasmid, successively. Sequencing analysis of the DNA responsible for SLDH activity revealed an open reading frame of 1455 bp coding for 485 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 53,642 Da. The amino acid sequence showed 42.2% identity with a NAD+-dependent mannitol dehydrogenase (MDH), which catalyzed conversion of d-sorbitol to d-fructose, from Pseudomonas fluorescens DSM50106. Since the intact SLDH was found to be very unstable during isolation and purification, this SLDH fused to 6 x His-tag was expressed in Pseudomonas putida IFO3738 and purified by immobilized metal affinity chromatography using cobalt-based resins. The 6 x His-tag SLDH catalyzed the oxidation of D-sorbitol to L-sorbose and exhibited 15 times higher activity in the presence of NADP+ than that of NAD+. These results indicate that the SLDH is a novel kind of dehydrogenase distinct from MDH previously reported.     

In vitro release kinetics of gentamycin from a sodium hyaluronate gel delivery system suitable for the treatment of peripheral vestibular disease

For certain patients who experience intense vertigo arising from unilateral vestibular lesions, the primary therapy is a vestibular nerve section, an intracranial surgical procedure. One alternative to this treatment is therapeutic ablation of vestibular function on the unaffected side using an ototoxic agent. We prepared a biodegradable sustained-release gel delivery system using sodium hyaluronate that can be administered into the middle ear using only a local anesthetic. The gel contains gentamycin sulfate, the ototoxic agent of choice for treatment of unilateral vestibulopathy, and it exhibits diffusion-controlled release of the drug over a period of hours. The released gentamycin could then diffuse into the inner ear through the round membrane. This represents an important advance over previous formulations, which used only gentamycin sulfate solutions, in that it should allow more careful control of the dose, it should reduce loss of the drug from the middle ear site, and it should maintain intimate contact with the round membrane. By carefully controlling the dose, it should be possible to inhibit vestibular function while minimizing hearing loss. Herein we describe the in vitro release kinetics of gentamycin sulfate from sodium hyaluronate gels and find that the system obeys Fickian behavior.     

Selective isopentane formation from CH3OH on a new one-atomic layer ZrO2/ZSM-5 hybrid catalyst

A new one-atomic layer ZrO₂/ZSM-5 hybrid catalyst was prepared by using the repeated reactions between Zr(OC₂H₅)₄ and of the OH groups of the external surfaces of ZSM-5, followed by calcination. The one-atomic layer ZrO₂ attached on the ZSM-5 surface was characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence and EXAFS. The ZrO₂ overlayer is suggested to epitaxially grow on the ZSM-5(001) plane in a [111] direction of tetragonal ZrO₂. The one-atomic layer ZrO₂/ZSM-5 is a unique catalyst which produces selectively isopentane from CH₃OH.     

Basic design of 70-MW-class superconducting generators

The application of superconductivity technology to electric power apparatus is very important from the viewpoint of energy saving. Especially, the superconducting generators using superconductors as the field windings have many merits compared with conventional generators. Super-GM has been researching and developing 70-MW-class model machines since FY 1988 for a scheduled period of eight years, aiming at a 200-MW-class superconducting generator. This paper describes the basic specifications and designs of 70-MW-class superconducting generators by Super-GM and also describes the propriety of these basic specifications and designs.     

Pharmacological effects of SA96 (bucillamine) and its metabolites as immunomodulating drugs--the disulfide structure of SA-96 metabolites plays a critical role in the pharmacological action of the drug

SA96 (generic name, bucillamine) is a disease-modifying anti-rheumatoid arthritis (RA) drug with immunological effects. This compounds has two sulfhydryl groups in its molecule, and the differences and similarities between this drug and D-penicillamine, which is also a sulfhydryl group-containing anti-rheumatic drug, have frequently been discussed. To clarify the pharmacological differences between these two drugs, we examined the concentrations of the compounds and its metabolites in serum and synovial fluid, paying special attention to the metabolites of SA96 produced in vivo. SA96 was metabolized in a very short time to SA981 which is a disulfide compound formed by intramolecular binding of two sulfhydryl groups, and transferred to synovial fluid. In addition SA981 had significant suppressive effects on IL-6 and IL-8 production by synovial cells in vitro. These results demonstrate that SA96, which has two sulfhydryl groups, exhibits anti-rheumatic effects via a pharmacological action clearly different from that of D-penicillamine.     

Treatment results of stage I and II oral tongue cancer with interstitial brachytherapy: maximum tumor thickness is prognostic of nodal metastasis

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine whether the secretory component of immunoglobulin A in maternal serum predicts delivery before 34 weeks' gestation. STUDY DESIGN: Primigravid women of an urban population in New Zealand were recruited at booking into a prospective longitudinal nested case control study (n = 1651; after exclusions and withdrawals, n = 1511). Serum was collected at 8 to 12 weeks, 15 to 18 weeks, 21 to 24 weeks, 28 to 30 weeks, and 36 to 38 weeks of gestation and 6 weeks post partum. Concentrations of the secretory component of immunoglobulin A were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in all women who were delivered preterm (n = 53) and in controls randomly selected from women delivered at > or =37 weeks' gestation (n = 178). RESULTS: Serum concentrations of the secretory component of immunoglobulin A were similar in women delivered at term or preterm throughout pregnancy (n = 21 delivered at <34 weeks and n = 32 at 34 to 36.9 weeks, incidence 3.5%). Receiver-operator characteristic curves showed no discriminating ability of the secretory component of immunoglobulin A. Smokers had 50% higher concentrations than nonsmokers did (p < 0.0001 by analysis of variance). CONCLUSION: The secretory component of immunoglobulin A in maternal serum does not predict preterm delivery in a low-risk population.     

Effects of age and sex on sodium chloride sensitivity: association with plasma renin activity

The mechanism by which excessive NaCl intake raises blood pressure has not been fully clarified. The present study was undertaken in 87 Japanese inpatients with essential hypertension to investigate the interrelation among effects of age, sex and the renin-angiotensin system on NaCl sensitivity. After ingesting a regular NaCl diet (170 mmol/day) for one week, subjects were placed sequentially on a week of low NaCl diet (50 mmol/day) and a week of high NaCl diet (340 mmol/day). NaCl sensitivity defined as the difference in mean blood pressure between the low and high NaCl diets did not differ between genders. NaCl sensitivity was positively correlated with age and the change in PRA. The fall in PRA after NaCl loading was significantly smaller in women than in men. By multiple regression analysis, age and the change in PRA independently contributed to the change in mean blood pressure. Furthermore, the interaction between sex and the change in PRA was selected as a statistically significant variable. In conclusion, NaCl sensitivity of blood pressure is independently associated with age and the inadequate suppression of the renin-angiotensin system. Because the contribution of the change in PRA to NaCl sensitivity was greater in women than in men, the mechanism of blood pressure elevation after NaCl loading may differ between genders.