Finite element analysis of the transient motion of stratified viscous fluids under gravity

The present paper deals with the finite element analysis of two-dimensional two-layer density flows in a gravitational field. A fluid in each layer is replaced with a large number of discrete particles, and the motion and deformation of each layer is represented by moving those particles in a Lagrangian manner. The velocity distribution in the whole fluid region is given as the finite element solution of the Navier-Stokes equations and the equation of continuity. In the finite element calculation, free-slip conditions are used on solid wall boundaries because no-slip conditions may cause sticking of some particles to walls. Then, a new technique for the implementation of free-slip conditions on arbitrary curved boundaries is presented. As numerical examples, density flows in a rectangular closed container and Rayleigh-Taylor instability in the container with a circular cross-section have been computed.     

New color TV cameras for ultraviolet, near infrared and visiblelight

Two kinds of TV cameras have been developed that are capable of showing the wavelengths of ultraviolet, infrared, and visible light by means of a false color method. One is sensitive to wavelengths from 250 to 650 nm (ultraviolet to yellow). It can simulate the color vision of the honey bee and other insects, reproducing the nectar guide of a flower or displaying the sex of a cabbage white moth, which is indistinguishable to the naked eye. The other is sensitive to a wider wavelength of 250 to 1,050 nm (ultraviolet to near infrared). According to the filter selected, it obtains not only visual images of invisible light information but also pictures same as those from an ordinary color camera. These TV cameras can be applied in many fields, including science, art, medicine, and industry     

Structure and dynamics of suspensions of silica particles in liquidcrystals under a low frequency AC applied voltage

Silica particles dispersed in liquid crystals exhibit a novel behavior such as a unique migrating behavior and alignment. These characteristics are found to depend on the size of the nanoparticles, the surface state of nanoparticles, the liquid crystal (LC) phases, the amplitude and the frequency of applied voltage. These are discussed in terms of anisotropic particle-particle and particle-LC molecules interactions in the anisotropic environment of liquid crystal matrix     

High Mechanical Strength Double‐Network Hydrogel with Bacterial Cellulose

Double‐network (DN) hydrogels with high mechanical strength have been synthesized using the natural polymers bacterial cellulose (BC) and gelatin. As‐prepared BC contains 90 % water that can easily be squeezed out, with no more recovery in its swelling property. Gelatin gel is brittle and is easily broken into fragments under a modest compression. In contrast, the fracture strength and elastic modulus of a BC–gelatin DN gel under compressive stress are on the order of megapascals, which are several orders of magnitude higher than those of gelatin gel, and almost equivalent to those of articular cartilage. A similar enhancement in the mechanical strength was also observed for the combination of BC with polysaccharides, such as sodium alginate, gellan gum, and ι‐carrageenan.     

Operation of HTS Toggle-Flip-Flop Circuit With Improved Layout Design

Toggle-flip-flop (T-FF) is one of the most important high-T_c superconducting single-flux quantum (HTS SFQ) circuit components and has been designed and fabricated by using YBa₂Cu₃ O_7-delta ramp-edge junction technology. The circuit layout of the T-FF was improved to suppress the junction critical current (I_c) spread in the circuit. Test circuits, which include a T-FF with a single output for evaluating the logic operation and measuring the operating frequency, were fabricated and their operation characteristics were investigated. The T-FF circuit with a single output was successfully operated and finite direct current (dc) supply current margins were obtained at temperatures from 27 to 34 K. Moreover, the maximum operating frequency of the T-FF was estimated to be 360 GHz at 4.2 K and 114 GHz at 41 K. In addition, reduction of dc supply current margins due to thermal noise was also investigated. According to the numerical simulation in which parasitic inductances were taken into account, the narrowest margin in the T-FF circuit wider than plusmn10% was maintained with a bit-error rate (BER) of 10^-6 up to 40 K     

Effects of Digital Doping of Mn on Giant Magneto-Optical Properties of Zn1−x Mn x Se Quantum Wells

We have studied effects of the digital-doping profile of MnSe layers on the giant magneto-optical properties in Zn_1?x Mn _x Se-based quantum wells. The giant Zeeman shift energy increases monotonically with increasing spatial overlap of the exciton wavefunction with the 0.5 monatomic-thick effective Mn layers at the interfaces between the digitally doped MnSe layers and nonmagnetic ZnSe layers. Also, a field-induced enhancement factor of the excitonic photoluminescence intensity, because of the suppression of the exciton energy transfer into the d-d transition of Mn-ions, increases linearly with increasing such overlap of the exciton wavefunction with the effective Mn layer. In addition, the formation energy as large as 18.6 meV and the formation time of the magnetic polaron are determined, which are also affected by the digital-doping profile.     

Photochemical identification of transmembrane segment IVS6 as the binding region of semotiadil, a new modulator for the L-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel

To identify the binding domain of a new Ca2+ antagonist semotiadil on L-type Ca2+ channels from skeletal muscle, photolabeling was carried out by using an azidophenyl derivative of [3H]semotiadil. Photoincorporation was observed in several polypeptides of membrane triad preparations; the only specific photoincorporation was in the alpha1 subunit of the Ca2+ channel. After solubilization and purification, the photolabeled alpha1 subunit was subjected to proteolytic and CNBr cleavage followed by antibody mapping. Specific labeling was associated solely with the region of transmembrane segment S6 in repeat IV. Quantitative immunoprecipitation was found in the tryptic and the Lys-C/Glu-C fragments of 6.6 and 6.1 kDa, respectively. Further CNBr cleavage of the Lys-C digests produced two smaller fragments of 3.4 and 1.8 kDa that were included in the tryptic and Lys-C/Glu-C fragments. The smallest labeled fragments were: Tyr1350-Met1366 and Leu1367-Met1381 containing IVS6, a possible pore-forming region. The data suggest that semotiadil binds to a region that is overlapped with but not identical to those for phenylalkylamines, dihydropyridines and benzothiazepines. The present study also provides evidence that region IV represents an important component of a binding pocket for Ca2+ antagonists.