Transmission Characteristics of Hybrid Modes in Corrugated Waveguides Above the Bragg Frequency

We studied the transmission characteristics of hybrid modes in a corrugated circular waveguide above the Bragg frequency to develop a broad-band transmission line for millimeter waves. Millimeter waves at 294 GHz were transmitted into a straight waveguide. From observed power profiles in waveguide cross-sections, a high attenuation rate of 0.13 dB/m was obtained. To match a theoretical attenuation constant with the experimental one, we introduced an ad hoc coefficient of conventional surface reactance in the waveguide wall. This was necessary because the wall began to look like the surface with a decreasing anisotropic reactance owing to the frequency above the Bragg frequency. Using nonlinear optimization for mode content analysis, the observed power profiles in the waveguide cross-section were matched with theoretical profiles. There was good agreement between the calculated and observed centers of power profiles and attenuation rate along the waveguide. The theoretical analysis showed that the magnetic field at the waveguide wall increases and the substantial attenuation takes place. Above the Bragg frequency coupling to backwards propagating modes is a point of consideration. A combination of the backwards propagating EH_1,26 and the forward propagating HE₁₁ modes satisfied the Bragg condition at 294.7 GHz which was the nearest frequency of operating frequency. A strong attenuation of the incoming HE₁₁ mode by Bragg resonance was not expected due to large difference of 0.7 GHz. It becomes clear that the observed high transmission loss outside of the Bragg resonance can be explained by a decrease in anisotropic surface reactance at the wall.     

Development of the Water Cooled Ceramic Breeder Test Blanket Module in Japan

The development of a Water Cooled Ceramic Breeder (WCCB) Test Blanket Module (TBM) is being performed as one of the most important steps toward DEMO blanket in Japan. For the TBM testing and evaluation toward DEMO blanket, the module fabrication technology development by a candidate structural material, reduced activation martensitic/ferritic steel, F82H, is one of the most critical items from the viewpoint of realization of TBM testing in ITER. In Japan, fabrication of a real scale first wall, side walls, a breeder pebble bed box and assembling of the first wall and side walls have succeeded. Recently, the real scale partial mockup of the back wall was fabricated. The fabrication procedure of the back wall, whose thickness is up to 90 mm, was confirmed toward the fabrication of the real scale back wall by F82H. Important key technologies are almost clarified for the fabrication of the real scale TBM module mockup. From the view point of testing and evaluation, development of the technology of the blanket tritium recovery, development of advanced breeder and multiplier pebbles and the development of the blanket neutronics measurement technology are also performed. Also, tritium production and recovery test using D-T neutron in the Fusion Neutronics Source (FNS) facility has been started as the verification test of tritium production performance. This paper overviews the recent achievements of the development of the WCCB TBM in Japan.     

Gelation of poly(vinyl alcohol) solutions at low temperatures (20 to −78°C) and properties of gels

The flow points of atactic poly(vinyl alcohol) (a-PVA) gels with H₂O/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) = 90/10 (v/v) chilled at 20 to ?78°C for 24 h depended on the chilling temperature and were 0–30°C for gels with the initial polymer concentrations (C_i) of 2–5 g/dL, whereas those for H₂O/DMSO = 50/50 chilled at 0 to ?78°C were independent of the chilling temperature and were 70–75°C. Syneresis occurred after eight cycles of freezing (?24°C) and thawing (20°C) for a-PVA hydrogels at concentrations above C_i = 4 g/dL and two such cycles for syndiotacticity-rich PVA (s-PVA) hydrogels at concentrations above C_i = 1 g/dL. The extent of syneresis per one cycle for s-PVA hydrogels was higher than that for a-PVA hydrogels at the initial cycles. In the a-PVA hydrogels with an initial polymer concentration of ca. 30 g/dL, syneresis was expected not to occur even after 20 cycles. If all the free water in the gels is assumed to have transuded by syneresis after 20 cycles, the residual water is bound water and is estimated to be six water molecules per one vinyl alcohol monomer unit. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Constitutive Effects of Lead on Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Gene Battery and Protection by β‐carotene and Ascorbic Acid in Human HepG2 Cells

Lead (Pb) is an environmental pollutant that can get entry into human body through contaminated foods, drinks, and inhaled air leading to severe biological consequences, and has been responsible for many deaths worldwide. The objectives of this study were 1st to investigate the modulatory effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of Pb on AhR gene battery, which is controlling xenobiotics metabolism. 2nd, trials to reduce Pb‐induced adverse effects were done using some phytochemicals like β‐carotene or ascorbic acid. Human hepatoma (HepG2) cell lines were exposed to a wide range of Pb concentrations varying from physiological to toxic levels (0 to 10 mg/L) for 24 h. High Pb concentrations (1 to 10 mg/L) significantly reduced phase I (CYP1A1 and 1A2) and phase II (UGT1A6 and NQO1) xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme mRNA expression in a mechanistic manner through the AhR regulation pathway. Additionally, these Pb concentrations induced oxidative stress in HepG2 cells in terms of production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induced heme oxygenase‐1 mRNA expression in a concentration‐dependent phenomenon. Coexposure of HepG2 cells to physiological concentrations of some micronutrients, like β‐carotene (10 μM) or ascorbic acid (0.1 mM), along with Pb (1 mg/L) for 24 h significantly reduced the levels of ROS production and recovered AhR mRNA expression into the normal levels. Thus, consumption of foods rich in these micronutrients may help to reduce the adverse effects of lead in areas with high levels of pollution.     

Effect of sweep gas species on tritium release behavior from lithium titanate packed bed during 14 MeV neutron irradiation

In a fusion reactor, the prediction of tritium release behavior from breeder blanket is important to design the tritium recovery system, but the amount of tritium generated is necessary information to do that. Hence, tritium generation and recovery studies on lithium ceramics packed bed have been started by using fusion neutron source (FNS) in Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). Lithium titanate (Li₂TiO₃) was selected as tritium breeding material, and its packed bed was enclosed by the beryllium blocks, and was kept at certain temperature during fusion neutron irradiation. During irradiation, the packed bed was purged with the sweep gas continuously, and tritium released was trapped in each gas absorber selectively by chemical form. In this work, the effect of sweep gas species on tritium release behavior was investigated. In the case of sweep by helium with 1% of hydrogen, tritium in water form was released sensitively corresponding to the irradiation. This is due to existence of the water vapor in the sweep gas. On the other hand, in the case of sweep by helium without water vapor, tritium in gaseous form was released first, and release of tritium in water form was delayed from gaseous tritium and was gradually increased.     

Synthesis and electronic structure of proton-type partially substituted birnessite by period-four transition metal

Partially substituted proton-type birnessite were prepared by solid state reaction and their structures were refined. The formed birnessite with no substitution is identified to rhombohedral phase. In the case of substitution treatment by V and Cr for Mn, birnessite phase was not formed. On substituting Fe, hexagonal phase increased with increase of the amount of the Fe. For Co and Ni-substitution, monoclinic phase emerged at substitution ratio of around 0.37 and 0.02, respectively. For the substitution of Cu, only the monoclinic birnessite formed irrespective of the ratio. The electric conductivity of the partially substituted birnessites was examined at room temperature. The general trend is lower conductivity with increasing ratio of contained substituents. On several mol% of the substitution by Ni and Cu, the conductivity slightly increased. From DOS calculation of these compounds, the partially substitution for Mn by Fe, Co and Ni in the birnessite poses splitting of crystal field to emerge new bands at around −1 and +1 eV by Mn(IV) 3d orbital.     

Mechanical stress effect on oxygen ion mobility in 8 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia electrolyte

In the present study, the effect of mechanical tensile stress on oxygen mobility in 8 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (8YSZ) was investigated. The experimental results show that the ionic conductivity increases with stress and saturates. The maximum improvement in the conductivity was about 18% observed at 973 K. The simulation results show that the diffusion coefficient increases with stress and decreases with excessive stress. The maximum improvement was about 40% observed at 973 K. The improvement was larger at lower temperatures in both the experiment and the simulation. The strain caused by the stress is considered to have caused the gradient in the potential energies of the neighbouring oxygen sites, especially around the yttrium ions, which probably facilitated the migration of the oxygen ions.     

Effects of casting solvents on characteristics of organic EL devices containing poly(l-glutamate) as hole-transport material

The characteristics of EL devices containing α-helical poly(l-glutamate) and having a carbazole side chain (PCELG) were found to strongly depend on the casting solvents. Among EL devices fabricated using chlorine-containing casting solvents such as 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE), 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (TCE), chloroform (CHCl₃), and monochlorobenzene (?-Cl), the EL device fabricated using the DCE solvent exhibited the maximum luminance (65.8 cd/m²). The difference between the threshold voltages of the devices ranged up to 6.0 V, despite their fabrication by using solutions with the same composition ratio. The maximal efficiency of the devices fabricated using the DCE solvent was found to be 20 times greater than that of the devices fabricated using TCE solvents. A comparison of the current densities and voltages among devices fabricated using different casting solvents at their maximal efficiencies showed that the maximal efficiencies tended to significantly increase in the order TCE < CHCl₃ < DCE solvents at similar voltages (～15 V), despite a lowering of the current density. The current density was considered to be directly related to the number of carriers injected into the device. The above-mentioned observations suggested that the maximal efficiency in these devices was not the hole and electron injection efficiencies, but the values of some parameters subsequent to carrier injection, such as the recombination rate, amount of excitons generated, and the diffusion length.     

Ultra Low-Dose Radiation: Stress Responses and Impacts Using Rice as a Grass Model

We report molecular changes in leaves of rice plants (Oryza sativa L. - reference crop plant and grass model) exposed to ultra low-dose ionizing radiation, first using contaminated soil from the exclusion zone around Chernobyl reactor site. Results revealed induction of stress-related marker genes (Northern blot) and secondary metabolites (LC-MS/MS) in irradiated leaf segments over appropriate control. Second, employing the same in vitro model system, we replicated results of the first experiment using in-house fabricated sources of ultra low-dose gamma (γ) rays and selected marker genes by RT-PCR. Results suggest the usefulness of the rice model in studying ultra low-dose radiation response/s.