Dental application of glass cloth to denture: dimensional accuracy in reinforced resins

Duplicate dentures were made from heat-cured (HC) and microwave-cured (MC) bases, and with these bases reinforced with glass cloth. The clearance as a dimensional change in the resins was measured in relation to duplicate gypsum models from a master denture model. The clearance value in resins stored in distilled water at 37°C demonstrated better dimensional accuracy as compared with base resin replicas stored in air at 37°C. When measured at 1 kg load, MC and HC base resins showed a decrease in the clearance value. MC and HC resins reinforced with glass cloth had no significant difference between the values of dimensional accuracy at each site. The MC base and reinforced resins could be useful, comparable with HC acrylic base resin, for dental applications.     

Monolithic ultra-broadband transimpedance amplifiers usingAlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors

Monolithic ultra-broadband transimpedance amplifiers are developed using AlGaAs/GaAs HBTs. To realize good amplifier performances, two factors are mentioned: an affordable HBT fabrication process using the self-aligned method and an optimized circuit design considering large signal operations. The developed HBT fabrication process achieves excellent uniformity in DC characteristics and the effect on amplifier microwave performances, derived from the discrete device uniformity, is estimated. Amplifier circuit configurations are designed by harmonic balance simulation using the extracted large signal device parameters The fabricated amplifier exhibits a DC to 13.4-GHz bandwidth with an 18.1-dB gain. Fairly good uniformity is also achieved for the amplifier microwave performances. An optical receiver module is constructed mounting the developed HBT amplifier and InGaAs p-i-n photodiode chips. The optical receiver module provides a 9.4-GHz bandwidth and an optical receiver sensitivity of -15.7 dBm at 10-Gb/s data rate     

The therapeutic effect of hypertonic solutions on the changes in the effective circulating plasma volume in acute necrotizing pancreatitis in rats

While hypovolemia or hypovolemic shock is dominant in the early stage of severe acute pancreatitis, there have been few studies on the effects of hypertonic solutions in the management of this disease. We conducted this study to evaluate the therapeutic effects of hypertonic saline solutions (HS) on the course of severe acute pancreatitis in rats. Pancreatitis was induced in male Wistar rats by injecting a 5% solution of sodium taurocholate into the biliopancreatic duct. The effective circulating plasma volume (ECPV) was measured using radioiodinated [125I]bovine serum albumin. Samples of blood and of ascitic fluid were obtained 3, 6, and 12 h after the onset of pancreatitis. Lactated Ringer's solution (LR) and HS were administered consecutively for 3 h beginning 3 h after the induction of pancreatitis. ECPV was measured 6 h after the onset of pancreatitis. The survival rates were investigated for up to 10 days. The mean ECPV decreased significantly from 24.9 +/- 1.1 ml/kg before disease onset to 11.5 +/- 1.3 ml/kg 6 h postoperatively. LR failed to achieve a normal value for ECPV even following a 150 ml/kg infusion. HS200 and HS300 restored the ECPV to the normal level, and with smaller volumes infused. All rats in the untreated group died within 3 days. LR and HS improved the survival rates, with the infusion of HS200, 100 ml/kg, thus attaining a 45% survival at 10 days.     

Effects of molecular size and structure on self-diffusion coefficient and viscosity for saturated hydrocarbons having six carbon atoms

Self-diffusion coefficients and viscosities for the saturated hydrocarbons having six carbon atoms such as hexane, 2-methylpentane (2MP), 3-methylpentane (3MP), 2,2-dimethylbutane (22DMB), 2,3-dimethylbutane (23DMB), methylcyclopentane (McP) and cyclohexane (cH) were measured at various constant temperatures; obtained results were discussed in connection with their molar volumes, molecular structures and thermodynamic properties. The values of self-diffusion coefficients as the microscopic property were inversely proportional to those of viscosities as the macroscopic property. The order of their viscosities was almost same to those of their melting temperatures and enthalpies of fusion, which reflect the attractive interactions among their molecules. On the other hand, the order of the self-diffusion coefficients inversely related to the order of the melting temperatures and the enthalpies of the fusion. Namely, the compound having the larger attractive interaction mostly shows the less mobility in its liquid state, e.g., cyclohexane (cH), having the largest attractive interaction and the smallest molar volume exhibits an extremely large viscosity and small self-diffusion coefficient comparing with other hydrocarbons. However, a significant exception was 22DMB, being most close to a sphere: In spite of the smallest attractive interaction and the largest molar volume of 22DMB in the all samples, it has the thirdly larger viscosity and the thirdly smaller self-diffusion coefficient. Consequently, the dynamical properties such as self-diffusion and viscosity for the saturated hydrocarbons are determined not only by their attractive interactions but also by their molecular structures.     

In situ observations of domain structures and magnetic flux distributions in Mn-Zn and Ni-Zn ferrites by Lorentz microscopy and electron holography

Domain structures and magnetic flux distributions in Mn-Zn and Ni-Zn ferrites are investigated by in situ observations with Lorentz microscopy and electron holography. In situ Lorentz microscopic observation with the magnetic field applied reveals that the domain walls in Mn-Zn ferrite move easily across the grain boundary. On the other hand, each grain of Ni-Zn ferrite is magnetized by domain wall motion inside the grain. By taking a series of holograms with adjustment of the optical axis and astigmatism while the magnetic field is applied, we succeeded in observing the change in magnetic flux distribution quantitatively. Eventually, it is clarified that magnetization rotation does not take place in the magnetization process of Ni-Zn ferrite. The domain wall widths delta in Mn-Zn and Ni-Zn ferrites are evaluated to be 73 and 58 nm, respectively. Furthermore, through direct observation of the domain structure in Ni-Cu-Zn ferrite with Lorentz microscopy, it is found that the grains with size below 1.5 microm diameter are single domain.     

Experimental validation of void fraction models for R410A air conditioners

This paper presents the combined void fraction models on the basis of flow pattern to choose suitable models for calculating the two-phase refrigerant mass of R410A air conditioners, and the model is validated experimentally. The existing single void fraction models are also evaluated experimentally. The Taitel–Dukler flow pattern map is recommended to use in the combined void fraction models. The results presented herein show that the calculated refrigerant mass using the combined void fraction models agrees relatively better with the measured refrigerant mass than that of the single void fraction models. T–B model (for intermittent flow) and Premoli model (for annular flow) are recommended for calculating the two-phase refrigerant mass in evaporator, and T–B model (for intermittent flow) and Harms model (for annular flow) are also indicated for calculating the two-phase refrigerant mass in condenser.     

Experimental evaluation of impact ionization coefficients in GaN

The impact ionization coefficient of electrons (α_n) in GaN is determined as a function of the electric field strength from gate-current analysis in the prebreakdown regime of AlGaN/GaN heterojunction field effect transistors (HJFETs). The experimentally obtained α_n, where the assumed effective length of the high electric field is precisely defined since its upper bound is closely limited due to the small gate-drain separation, agrees with that extrapolated from Monte Carlo simulation. It is experimentally confirmed that the breakdown field of GaN is higher than that of GaAs by a factor of about eight     

Solution‐processed organic TFT array for active‐matrix LCDs on a plastic substrate

Abstract— Organic TFTs (OTFTs) have been developed with a novel solution‐processed gate insulator of poly(4‐vinylphenol) (PVP) with the addition of octadecyltrichloro‐silane (OTS) and a solution‐processed organo‐silver electrode/wire to improve the performance of an OTFT and to maked high‐throughput‐manufacturing process possible. Solution‐processed PVP has also employed for a buffer layer on a plastic substrate. The OTFT backplane with these solution‐based organic‐material technologies has been successfully applied to drive a 2.5‐in. QQVGA (160 × 120 pixels) AMLCD with a resolution of 79 dpi.     

Serodiagnosis of chronic hepatitis C in Japan by second-generation recombinant immunoblot assay

The seroprevalence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV) by a second-generation recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA-2) was tested using 4 recombinant antigens. The results were correlated with those of C100-3 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and with the detection of HCV-RNA sequences by the polymerase chain reaction. Sera were obtained from 27 C100-3 ELISA-positive Japanese patients with chronic non-A, non-B liver disease and from 29 C100-3 ELISA-negative patients. All C100-3 ELISA-positive patients and 19 (66%) out of 29 C100-3 ELISA-negative patients reacted to two or more RIBA-2 antigens (reactive by RIBA-2). Of the remaining 10 C100-3 ELISA-negative patients, one patient reacted to just one antigen (indeterminate by RIBA-2), while 9 reacted to none of the 4 antigens (non-reactive by RIBA-2). Forty-three (93%) of the 46 RIBA-2-reactive patients and the single RIBA-2-indeterminate patient tested positive for HCV-RNA sequences, whereas only one (11%) of the 9 RIBA-2-non-reactive patients tested positive. These findings indicate that HCV infection is more prevalent than expected from the results of C100-3 ELISA, and that RIBA-2 is a more sensitive assay for estimating the presence of HCV infection in chronic liver disease.