A spectrofluorometric method for determining plasma allantoin based on the glyoxylate reductase reaction

Messenger RNA has been isolated from rat lens tissue. The mRNA species which codes for the A2 chain of alpha-crystallin, revealed the same extremely high sedimentation value (14S) as the corresponding messenger from calf lens. However, it has been shown that in rat lens the 14-S messenger preparation directs the synthesis of an additional alpha-crystallin chain, designated as alpha-X with an approximate molecular weight of 24000. For comparative purpose crystallin synthesis has also been studied as well in cultured rat lens cells as in the rat lens cell-free system.     

Observation and Simulation of Floodwater Intrusion and Sedimentation in the Shichikashuku Reservoir

Wash load sedimentation during flood events is studied through comprehensive field measurements at the Shichikashuku Reservoir, Japan and numerical simulation. Field data during a flooding event caused by a typhoon in 1996 are used to set the boundary conditions for the model and to verify the simulation. In the field experiments, continuous monitoring of inflow turbidity is shown to be an effective and reliable means of estimating sediment influx. In the simulations, the proposed model is shown to provide an accurate reproduction of floodwater currents and sedimentation in the reservoir. The model achieves good accuracy and resolution by adopting an orthogonal curvilinear grid to discretize the reservoir and by solving the flow field using a three-dimensional standard k–ε turbulence model. The simulation reproduces the observed velocity, turbidity, and distribution of sedimentation well, demonstrating the potential utility of such models in the management of reservoir water quality and sedimentation.     

非平稳分形随机信号波形估计的最优门限方法

本文用基于最小均方误差准则的最优门限方法估计叠加高斯白噪声的分形布朗运动,并给出其离散小波变换分解级数确定方法.与多尺度维纳滤波相比,本方法不需估计1/f类分形信号的方差,且其离散小波变换分解级数可预先确定,因此有着更好的实用性和可操作性.     

Localized thermal processing with a laser‐trapped and heated metal nanoparticle

We report localized thermal processing using a laser‐trapped and heated metal nanoparticle. A metal nanoparticle trapped by a focused, continuous wave (CW), near‐infrared laser was heated by photothermal conversion and acted as a remotely controllable nanosized thermal tool for processing a workpiece. We demonstrated the processing of a glass substrate with an optically trapped gold nanoparticle (diameter 200 nm) irradiated by a Nd:YAG laser (λ = 1.064 µm, CW). Laser irradiation caused local melting of the substrate and a crater‐like nanosized imprint on the substrate, demonstrating thermal nanoprocessing of an optically transparent material. Copyright © 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan© 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Modeling of molten metal flow in a continuous casting process considering the effects of argon gas injection and static magnetic-field application

A mathematical model has been developed to analyze molten metal flow, considering the effects of argon gas injection and static magnetic-field application in the continuous casting process. The k-ɛ turbulence model is used to calculate the turbulent variables. A homogeneous fluid model with variable density is employed to tackle the molten metal-argon gas flow. The electromagnetic force is incorporated into the Navier-Stokes equation, and the effects of boundary conditions of the magnetic field on the velocity distribution near the mold wall are included. A good agreement between the numerically obtained flow-field results and measurements is obtained. The argon gas injection changes the molten metal flow pattern, mainly in the upper portion of the mold. By applying the magnetic field, values of the averaged velocity field in the bulk decrease significantly, and, especially at the top free surface, they become very small, which can cause meniscus freezing. When magnetic-field application and argon gas injection are used together, the external flow field out of the gas plume is significantly suppressed; nevertheless, flotation of gas bubbles is still active and is not affected directly by the magnetic field. Although the penetrating length of the gas plume is shortened, the argon gas bubbles in molten steel still cause fluctuation at the top free surface, which prevents the occurrence of freezing.     

Progress in development and design of the neutral beam injector for JT-60SA

Neutral beam (NB) injectors for JT-60 Super Advanced (JT-60SA) have been designed and developed. Twelve positive-ion-based and one negative-ion-based NB injectors are allocated to inject 30 MW D⁰ beams in total for 100 s. Each of the positive-ion-based NB injector is designed to inject 1.7 MW for 100 s at 85 keV. A part of the power supplies and magnetic shield utilized on JT-60U are upgraded and reused on JT-60SA. To realize the negative-ion-based NB injector for JT-60SA where the injection of 500 keV, 10 MW D⁰ beams for 100 s is required, R&Ds of the negative ion source have been carried out. High-energy negative ion beams of 490–500 keV have been successfully produced at a beam current of 1–2.8 A through 20% of the total ion extraction area, by improving voltage holding capability of the ion source. This is the first demonstration of a high-current negative ion acceleration of >1 A to 500 keV. The design of the power supplies and the beamline is also in progress. The procurement of the acceleration power supply starts in 2010.     

Polymer film produced by a marine bacterium

Biojelly is a sort of polymer that is formed on a cellulose acetate membrane immersed in seawater. Interestingly, Biojelly inhibits attachment of marine organisms such as algae and barnacles. We could successfully isolate several marine microorganisms from Biojelly-attached microorganisms. One of these isolates, strain SHY1-1, produced water-insoluble polymeric materials in natural seawater supplemented with yeast extracts and glucose. This strain was assigned to be Alteromonas sp. by the method of the 165 rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Biojelly and the polymer film produced by Alteromonas sp. SHY1-1 were qualitatively characterized by Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The result indicated that naturally occurring Biojelly and the polymeric materials obtained in this work both were a sort of mucopolysaccharide consisting of amino sugars. In addition, the attachment assay with larvae indicated that both polymer films had similar anti-fouling activity against barnacle (Balanus amphitrite).     

A design technique for a 60 GHz-bandwidth distributed basebandamplifier IC module

A DC-60 GHz, 9 dB distributed amplifier IC module is fabricated with 0.15 μm InAlAs-InGaAs low-noise HEMTs with 155 GHz f_T and 234 GHz f_max. The device is mounted in a metal package with 1.8 mm coaxial cable signal interfaces. The package is specially designed using three-dimensional electromagnetic field analyses, resulting in very flat frequency characteristics of the module within 1.5 dB gain ripples over the entire bandwidth. A multichip module loaded with two amplifier ICs in cascade is also fabricated, and operates at a 17.5 dB gain from 60 kHz to 48 GHz. The 1 dB gain compression output power is about 5 dBm for both modules. The noise figure of the single-chip module is approximately 4 dB over a 10-40 GHz frequency range