Novel transmissive color filter using cholesteric liquid crystal with wide viewing angle

Abstract— A new design for a cholesteric liquid‐crystal (CLC) color filter has been devised. Since this system absorbs no light, it uses backlight energy very efficiently. When CLCs of this type with an expanded selective reflection band are combined with light sources with sharp RGB emission peaks, such as LEDs, it is possible to reduce the dependence of color shift on viewing angle and make more efficient use of light.     

Polyether-segmented nylon hemodialysis membranes. III. Preparation and properties of new polyether-segmented nylon

In order to apply a blood-compatible polymer to hemodialysis membrane, a new polyether-segmented nylon which dissolved in common organic solvents was designed. The basic polyether-segmented nylon was synthesized by melt polycondensation from sebacic acid, m-xylenediamine, and α,ω-bisaminopropyl-poly(ethylene oxide). To improve the solubility, azelaic acid and hexamethylenediamine were copolycondensed with the basic copolymer. The solubility was correlated with the heat of fusion (ΔH_m) of the copolymer. When ΔH_m is < 30 mJ/mg, the polymer is soluble in dimethylsulfoxide and makes a stable solution. The nonthrombogenicity was investigated in the viewpoint of adhesion of platelet onto the copolymer surface. It is made clear that the surface of the block copolymer, having > 10 wt % of poly(ethylene oxide), suppresses the adhesion of platelet, and the composition of the nylon block has no effect on the adhesion of platelet. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 65:1723–1729, 1997     

Prediction algorithm of thermal resistance for impingement cooling of heat sinks for LSI packages with pin-fin arrays

This paper is a semi-empirical report on an algorithm for the prediction of thermal resistance for impingement cooling of pin-fin heat sinks for LSI packages when the inlet orifice is relatively large and is located over the center of the sink. We present a physical model suitable for these types of heat sinks, based on flow visualization results. The model divides the flow region into five parts: I) the top surfaces of the fins where they are directly under the inlet orifice, II) the portions of the vertical surfaces of the pin-fin cylinders, where those surfaces are directly below the inlet port, III) the surface of the base to which the fins are attached, excluding the areas occupied by the feet of the fins themselves, IV) the portions of the vertical surfaces of the fin-cylinders excluding those portions of the surfaces that are directly below the inlet port (complementary to region II), V) the portions of the top surfaces of the pins, excluding those portions directly below the inlet port (complementary to region I). We predicted thermal resistance values for heat sinks with pin-fin arrays, for a variety of orifice diameters, gaps, pin-fin diameters, and heights, and number of fins. These values agreed with experimental data within ±30%. © 1997 Scripta Technica, Inc. Heat Trans Jpn Res, 25(7): 434–448, 1996     

Janus Kinase Inhibitors Ameliorated Gastrointestinal Amyloidosis and Hypoalbuminemia in Persistent Dermatitis Mouse Model

Malnutrition is not only regarded as a complication of rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease but also that of inflammatory skin disease; however, the mechanisms and efficacy of its treatment have not been elucidated. Using a mouse model of dermatitis, we investigated the pathophysiology of malnutrition in inflammatory skin conditions and efficacy of its treatment. We employed spontaneous skin inflammation mice models overexpressing human caspase-1 in the epidermal keratinocytes. Body weight, nutrition level, and α1-antitrypsin fecal concentration were measured. The gastrointestinal tract was histologically and functionally investigated. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran was forcibly fed on an empty stomach, and plasma FITC-dextran was measured. The treatment efficacy of antibodies against tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-α/β as well as Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors was investigated. Compared with wild-type littermates, the inflammatory skin mice models showed a lowered body weight, reduction of serum albumin level, amyloid deposition in the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine, and increased α1-antitrypsin fecal concentration. However, the plasma FITC-dextran was unchanged between the dermatitis models and wild-type littermates. The over-produced serum amyloid A1 in the liver was detected in the plasma in the dermatitis model. Antibodies against TNF-α and IL-α/β showed partial effects on amyloid deposition; however, JAK inhibitors improved gastrointestinal amyloidosis with the improvement of skin symptoms. Chronic dermatitis is closely related to secondary amyloidosis in the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in hypoalbuminemia. Therefore, active control of skin inflammation is essential for preventing gastrointestinal complications.     

Effect of Thermal Drilling Condition on Burring in Ultrahigh Strengh TRIP Sheet Steels

Effect of thermal drilling condition on burring of 0.2C-(1.0-2.5)Si-(1.0-2.0)Mn (mass%) ultrahigh strength TRIP-aided sheet steels with polygonal ferrite matrix (TDP steels) was investigated for automotive applications.The combined rotational and downward force of the thermal drilling tool bit created friction heat.The height of the bushing was roughly 3 to 4 times the initial sheet thickness.The bushings are ideal for thread applications,as the strength of threads was significantly increased.We found that the burring and tapping contributed to the improvement of the tensile strength of 980 MPa class TRIP steel.     

Side-wall emitting ZnSe/AlN waveguide CO2 laser

A side-wall emitting ZnSe/AlN waveguide CO₂ laser, which is able to extract the output power from the waveguide wall, is proposed. In the proposed scheme, four polished AlN plates are cemented to form a 16 cm long waveguide with 1.9×1.9 mm² cross section. One of the AlN plates is partially replaced by the ZnSe plate. This part is used as an output window. To confirm the workability of the proposed scheme, a trial laser was constructed and tested. The output power of several milliwatts was observed from the ZnSe waveguide wall.     

Interleukin-8 (IL-8) and monocyte chemotactic and activating factor (MCAF/MCP-1), chemokines essentially involved in inflammatory and immune reactions

We analyzed the noise characteristics of two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) images obtained from the GE Advance positron emission tomography (PET) scanner. Three phantoms were used: a uniform 20-cm phantom, a 3-D Hoffman brain phantom, and a chest phantom with heart and lung inserts. Using gated acquisition, we acquired 20 statistically equivalent scans of each phantom in 2-D and 3-D modes at several activity levels. From these data, we calculated pixel normalized standard deviations (NSD's), scaled to phantom mean, across the replicate scans, which allowed us to characterize the radial and axial distributions of pixel noise. We also performed sequential measurements of the phantoms in 2-D and 3-D modes to measure noise (from interpixel standard deviations) as a function of activity. To compensate for the difference in axial slice width between 2-D and 3-D images (due to the septa and reconstruction effects), we developed a smoothing kernel to apply to the 2-D data. After matching the resolution, the ratio of image-derived NSD values (NSD2D/NSD3D)2 averaged throughout the uniform phantom was in good agreement with the noise equivalent count (NEC) ratio (NEC3D/NEC2D). By comparing different phantoms, we showed that the attenuation and emission distributions influence the spatial noise distribution. The estimates of pixel noise for 2-D and 3-D images produced here can be applied in the weighting of PET kinetic data and may be useful in the design of optimal dose and scanning requirements for PET studies. The accuracy of these phantom-based noise formulas should be validated for any given imaging situation, particularly in 3-D, if there is significant activity outside the scanner field of view.     

Microprocessor-Based Stabilizing Control Equipment for Survival of Isolated Mid-City Power System

This paper describes the recently developed microprocessor-based stabilizing control equipment for survival of isolated mid-city power system having heavy load and large shunt capacitance (Underground cables) of TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY (TEPCO). The active power balance and voltage stabilizing control scheme is realized by high-speed control of the 66KV load feeders, shunt reactors, shunt capacitors and 275KV & 154KV underground transmission cables dispersed in the power system.     

A case of subcutaneous cysticercosis

We report the fourth case of subcutaneous cysticercosis infected in Japan since 1975. The patient noticed a subcutaneous nodule on his left shoulder without symptoms for three years. No remarkable changes were found in laboratory findings and physical examination after surgical excision of the subcutaneous nodule. The adult worm of Taenia solium could not be found in the intestine. Histological findings revealed a cystic structure with a fibrous capsule and a protoscolex with suckers, hooks, and calcareous corpuscula. It was identified as a Cysticercus cellulosae hominis based on morphological characteristics. The patient has been living in the Kanto area of Japan and has never been outside Japan since he was born.     

A highly sensitive Pb(Zr,Ti)O/sub 3/ thin film ultrasonic micro-sensor with a grooved diaphragm

A highly sensitive piezoelectric ultrasonic micro-sensor with a grooved multilayer membrane was developed by a Si-based MEMS technique. The groove was located at one-quarter of the distance away from the edge of the membrane and opened into piezoelectric layer. The piezoelectric layer Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ (PZT) was 2.2 mum thick and was prepared by a sol-gel method. The prepared PZT film was pure perovskite and showed a highly (100) textured structure. The sensitivity of the fabricated piezoelectric ultrasonic sensor without the groove structure was 100 muV/Pa. In comparison, the sensitivity of the ultrasonic sensor with the groove structure was about 500 muV/Pa, which is 5 times that without the groove structure. The diaphragm having grooves showed a corrugate-like structure that was formed by residual stress. The high sensitivity of the membrane with the grooved diaphragm is considered to relate to the corrugate-like structure.