Selection of eutectic systems in AI2O3–Y2O3 ceramics

There are two eutectic reactions in the Al₂0₃–rich portion of the AI₂O₃-Y₂O₃ pseudo–binary system; one is the equilibrium A1₂0₃–YAG eutectic reaction at 1826%C, and the other is the metastable A1₂0₃–YAP eutectic reaction at 1702%C. Selection of the A1₂0₃–YAG and the A1₂0₃–YAP eutectics was examined in terms of cooling rate, nucleation temperature and maximum melt temperature. When the melt was cooled from 2100%C at any cooling rate, it always nucleated below the Al₂0₃–YAP eutectic temperature, therefore the Al₂0₃–YAP eutectic was selected. The Al₂0₃–YAG eutectic was selected when the melt was cooled from 1900%C at a cooling rate of less than 1 K s^-1. The selection of the two eutectic systems was determined by the nucleation temperature, although the maximum holding temperature of the melt and the cooling rate significantly affected the nucleation temperature. The structure of the melt, such as coordination of oxygen and chemical order when being heated to 2100%C may affect the nucleation behavior.     

Fluoroscopic bone fragment tracking for surgical navigation in femur fracture reduction by incorporating optical tracking of hip joint rotation center

A new method for fluoroscopic tracking of a proximal bone fragment in femoral fracture reduction is presented. The proposed method combines 2-D and 3-D image registration from single-view fluoroscopy with tracking of the head center position of the proximal femoral fragment to improve the accuracy of fluoroscopic registration without the need for repeated manual adjustment of the C-arm as required in stereo-view registrations. Kinematic knowledge of the hip joint, which has a positional correspondence with the femoral head center and the pelvis acetabular center, allows the position of the femoral fragment to be determined from pelvis tracking. The stability of the proposed method with respect to fluoroscopic image noise and the desired continuity of the fracture reduction operation is demonstrated, and the accuracy of tracking is shown to be superior to that achievable by single-view image registration, particularly in depth translation.     

Electrical properties of carbon nanotube thin-film transistors fabricated using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition measured by scanning probe microscopy

The electrical properties of carbon nanotube thin-film transistors (CNT-FETs) fabricated using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) were studied by scanning probe microscopy. The measured results suggest the formation of an island structure in the subthreshold regime and the disappearance of the island structure at the ON state. These results were explained by the change in the effective number of CNTs that contributed to the electrical conduction due to the gate-bias-dependent resistance of the semiconducting CNTs. The results obtained by Monte Carlo simulation revealed similar results. The effects of metallic CNTs with defects and the scatter of the drain current in the subthreshold regime were also examined.     

Sum frequency generation microscopy study of cellulose fibers

Sum frequency generation (SFG) microscopy images of cotton cellulose fibers were observed at the infrared wavenumber of ~ 2945 cm(-1) and with a spatial resolution of 2 μm. Domains of different cellulose microfibril bunches were observed and they showed different second-order nonlinear responses. The intensity of the peak of the asymmetric CH(2) stretching mode at 2945 cm(-1) depended strongly on the orientation of the electric fields of the incident visible and infrared light with respect to the cellulose fiber axis. The second-order nonlinear susceptibility arising from the chirality in the cellulose structure was found to be dominant. The SFG of the cross section of the cellulose fiber was relatively weak and showed a different spectrum from that measured from the side of the fiber axis.     

Urinary nitrite in Japanese patients with urinary tract infections

Urinary nitrite, a precursor of carcinogenic nitrosamines, and nitrate were measured in 73 Japanese patients with urinary tract infections (UTI) and in two control groups. Nitrite was detected in 12% of patients with uncomplicated UTI (226 +/- 161 mumol/l) and in 42% of those with complicated UTI (375 +/- 297 mumol/l). None of the subjects in the control groups excreted detectable amounts of nitrite. The excretion of nitrite in four out of five nitrite excretors continued for at least 14-55 days. The concentrations of urinary nitrite were significantly correlated with those of nitrate- plus nitrite-nitrogen, which reflect dietary nitrate ingestion. The results suggest the importance of close monitoring of nitrite excretor group in UTI patients, to clarify the mechanism of the association between UTI and bladder cancer.     

Reduced wavelength-dependent quarter-wave plate fabricated by a multilayered subwavelength structure

We developed a novel fabrication method of a reduced wavelength-dependent quarter-wave plate (QWP) based on form birefringence of a multilayered subwavelength structure. The multilayered structure was constructed by depositing a high-refractive-index thin film on a subwavelength-structured substrate with a low refractive index. The surface structure of the substrate was shallow enough to be formed by a mass replication technology. A high-refractive-index subwavelength grating was formed on ridges of the substrate by sputtering Zn2SnO4 (refractive index of 2.03 at a wavelength of 633 nm). Moreover, since the grooves of the high-refractive-index grating were very deep and narrow, the dispersion of form birefringence suppressed the dependency of phase retardance on the wavelength of light in a limited spectral region. The phase retardance of the fabricated QWP was 89 degrees at a 633 nm wavelength and 79 degrees at a 785 nm wavelength.     

The effect of demand response on electricity consumption under the existence of the reference price effect: Evidence from a dynamic pricing experiment in Japan

This paper investigates the effect of demand response on households’ electricity consumption under the existence of the reference price effect. The reference price effect is observed in peak and shoulder hours. Consistent with reference price theory predictions, our results show that the reduction of electricity consumption is greater in the case where the current price is higher than the previous price than in the case where the current price is lower than the previous price.     

Allelopathy ofSasa cernua

Sasa (Sasa cernua Makino) is a very serious weed pest. Its allelopathy was studied using lettuce, wheat, timothy, and green amaranth as testing species. Cultured in the rhizosphere soil ofSasa cernua, the seedlings were inhibited by 42–80% compared with the controls cultured in normal soil and vermiculite. The phenolic fraction extracted with 1 M NaOH from the rhizosphere soil ofS. cernua caused significant inhibitions on the seed germination and seedling growth of lettuce, timothy, green amaranth, and barnyard grass.p-Coumaric, ferulic, vanillic, andp-hydroxybenzoic acids andp-hydroxybenzaldehyde were identified as the main allelochemicals in sasa soil by HPLC and [¹H]NMR. Their contents in the rhizosphere soil were 5640, 1060, 860, 810 and 630 μg/100 g soil. The neutral fraction inhibited the seed germination and seedling growth of lettuce in the TLC direct bioassay. Volatile compounds released from sasa leaves also inhibited the growth of lettuce, wheat, timothy, and green amaranth grown under light, and the growth of etiolated seedlings of barley and wheat. These results confirm thatS. cernua produces typical allelopathy through its rhizosphere soil and air space.     

Annealing of commercial block polypropylene. I. Thermal and physical properties

Investigations were carried out regarding the effect of annealing of ethylene–propylene block copolymer (block PP) moldings on their tensile impact strength (TIS), brittle temperature (Tb), and other mechanical properties. Annealing near the melting point improves TIS and Tb as the result of recrystallization. With a system in which a minute amount of talc is added as a nucleating agent, the degree of improving TIS through annealing is considerably less than that with a nonnucleated system. The effect of annealing on the impact strength is due to changes of fine texture and morphology of crystallites and is explicable by recrystallization and polymer diffusion. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Film designed for lubricative coated steel sheets

This paper reports on a film designed for lubricative coated steel sheets which has excellent die galling resistance even during conducting of continuous press forming under severe conditions. Our newly developed film whose self-crosslinked structure was formed with a silanol group can retain a high modulus even up to when a high temperature is attained and that it has excellent die galling resistance even during continuous press forming.