Delamination growth mechanisms in woven glass fiber reinforced polymer composites under Mode II fatigue loading at cryogenic temperatures

The purpose of this research is to characterize the cryogenic delamination growth behavior in woven glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite laminates subjected to Mode II fatigue loading. Mode II fatigue delamination tests were performed at room temperature, liquid nitrogen temperature (77 K) and liquid helium temperature (4 K) using the four-point bend end-notched flexure (4ENF) test method, and the delamination growth rate data for the woven GFRP laminates were obtained. The energy release rate range was determined by the finite element method. Microscopic examinations of the specimen sections and fracture surfaces were also carried out. The present results are discussed to obtain an understanding of the fatigue delamination growth mechanisms in the woven GFRP laminates under Mode II loading at cryogenic temperatures.     

Studies on toxicity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on Arabidopsis T87 suspension cells

The possible toxicities of agglomerates of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) toward plant cells were evaluated. Arabidopsis T87 suspension cells were used as the model cells and decreases in values of cell dry weights, cell viabilities, cell chlorophyll contents, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were seen for the cells cultured in media containing the agglomerates of MWCNTs, indicating the agglomerates of MWCNTs are toxic to the Arabidopsis T87 suspension cells. Moreover, the toxicities increased sharply as the diameters of the agglomerates of the MWCNTs became smaller. A concept based on the hypersensitive response is suggested to explain the possible toxic mechanism induced by the MWCNTs.     

Optical shifter for a three-dimensional image by use of a gradient-index lens array

We propose a new function of the two-dimensional lens array that is composed of many gradient-index lenses. The array forms three-dimensional (3D) images. The characteristics of the 3D images depend on the length of the gradient-index lens. Especially, if the length of the lens is an odd-integer multiple of the half period of the optical path, 3D images are pseudoscopic with a reversed depth. The two lens arrays are positioned at a suitable distance, so that orthoscopic 3D images with the correct depth are formed in front of the lens array.     

Histidine 210 mutant of a trypsin-type Achromobacter protease I shows broad optimum pH range

Achromobacter protease I (API), a lysine-specific serine protease, shows one order of magnitude higher activity than bovine trypsin, while its optimum pH is in the alkaline region at about pH 9. To improve the optimum pH range, mutant enzyme His 210 replaced by Ser(H210S), Ala (H210A), and Lys (H210K) were constructed. The optimum pH of H210S shifted from about pH 9 (wild-type enzyme) to about pH 7, retaining its high activity. The putative electrostatic interaction between His 210 and catalytic Asp 113 was elucidated by the optimum-pH shift of H210K and H210A. These results indicate that this unconserved His 210 in API, which plays a key role in generating the useful peptidase, broadened the optimum-pH range without decreasing lysylendo-peptidase activity.     

Multiple fuzzy state-value functions for human evaluation through interactive trajectory planning of a partner robot

The purpose of this study is to develop partner robots that can obtain and accumulate human-friendly behaviors. To achieve this purpose, the entire architecture of the robot is designed, based on a concept of structured learning which emphasizes the importance of interactive learning of several modules through interaction with its environment. This paper deals with a trajectory planning method for generating hand-to-hand behaviors of a partner robot by using multiple fuzzy state-value functions, a self-organizing map, and an interactive genetic algorithm. A trajectory for the behavior is generated by an interactive genetic algorithm using human evaluation. In order to reduce human load, human evaluation is estimated by using the fuzzy state-value function. Furthermore, to cope with various situations, a self-organizing map is used for clustering a given task dependent on a human hand position. And then, a fuzzy state-value function is assigned to each output unit of the self-organizing map. The robot can easily obtain and accumulate human-friendly trajectories using a fuzzy state-value function and a knowledge database corresponding to the unit selected in the self-organizing map. Finally, multiple fuzzy state-value functions can estimate a human evaluation model for the hand-to-hand behaviors. Several experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

氯丁橡胶辐射硫化工艺的研究

研究了氯丁橡胶的辐射硫化工艺,发现含有４份多官能团单体４Ｇ,４份氧化镁及３０份碳黑的氯丁橡胶试样接受３０￣５０ｋＧｙ电子束辐射后,发生了交联。产品物理性能均达到或超过了化学硫化可达到的数值,因而在某些场合氯丁橡胶辐射硫化法可以取代化学硫化法。     

Multimouth surfaces for synthetic actor animation

Most parts of the human body are cylindrical in shape. Generalized cylinders, with two cross-sectional openings, are a logical choice to represent these cylindrical shapes. However, a variety of human body regions can be visualized as surfaces with multiple openings or multimouth (MM) surfaces. Some examples of such surfaces are the pelvis, the chest, and the palms of the hands. We investigated the suitability of non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) formulation for creating multimouth surfaces. Two techniques, the surface wrapping model and the garland model, are presented.     

Solid-state microwave relay systems in Japan

In response to the rapidly increasing demand for communication facilities, microwave relay systems have played an important role in Japan's telecommunications network because of their economy and capability for broadband transmission. Their progress has been marked during the past 20 years and this development has been supported by advances in such diverse fields as radio propagation, antennas, microwave and electronic circuitry, electron devices, and, particularly, in solid-state techniques. This article reviews the history of microwave relay systems and describes the past and expected future contributions of the solid-state technology to these systems.