An application of a homogenization method to the estimation of effective thermal conductivity of a hydrogen storage alloy bed considering variation of contact conditions between alloy particles

A homogenization method is applied to the estimation of effective thermal conductivity of a hydrogen storage alloy bed. By including the contact conditions between the alloy particles, the effect of contact conditions on the thermal conductivity is investigated.     

Substrate temperature dependence of electrical and structural properties of Ru films

Microstructures and resistivities of sputtered Ru films were investigated as a function of substrate temperature to obtain a single-layered Ru barrier without a Ta/TaN under layer. High resistivity Ru films with a high density of crevices, which enhances Cu diffusion along the crevices, were formed by the conventional sputtering process, i.e., sputtering at room temperature and annealing at 400 °C-700 °C for 30 min in Ar + 3%H₂. But, crevice-free and smooth Ru films with low resistivity, the same as that for the bulk phase, were formed when substrate temperature add sputtering was raised to 700 °C. Ru films formed by this process had (002) preferred orientation and then Cu (111) was formed by plating. This result corresponded to the tendency predicted by ab initio calculations.     

Prediction analysis of dose equivalent responses of neutron dosemeters used at a MOX fuel facility

To predict how accurately neutron dosemeters can measure the neutron dose equivalent (rate) in MOX fuel fabrication facility work environments, the dose equivalent responses of neutron dosemeters were calculated by the spectral folding method. The dosemeters selected included two types of personal dosemeter, namely a thermoluminescent albedo neutron dosemeter and an electronic neutron dosemeter, three moderator-based neutron survey meters, and one special instrument called an H(p)(10) monitor. The calculations revealed the energy dependences of the responses expected within the entire range of neutron spectral variations observed in neutron fields at workplaces.     

Nonlinear two-stage model for color discrimination

We modified a two-stage model for color discrimination proposed in a previous study [Color Res. Appl.25, 105 (2000)]; in order to extend the model to wider conditions, we considered the conditions with luminance modulations in addition to color modulations. Using the modified model, we successfully predicted color discrimination data with test color changes along both the chromatic and luminance axes under a variety of background colors. Both qualitative and quantitative assessments in modeling showed that nonlinearity is required in both the cone and the cone-opponent stages to interpret adaptation effects of both color and luminance on color discrimination. This fact suggests that the nonlinear properties at each stage have different roles in color perception.     

Influence of water and nitrogen deficit on fruit ripening and aroma potential of Vitis vinifera L cv Sauvignon blanc in field conditions

S‐Cysteine conjugate precursors of three volatile thiols were monitored in Vitis vinifera L cv Sauvignon blanc grapes during fruit ripening to assess the influence of vine water and nitrogen status on the grape aroma potential in field conditions. Four dry farmed plots were studied in the Pessac‐Léognan and Graves appellations (Bordeaux area) in 1998, which was a very dry vintage, and in 1999, when regular summer rainfall occurred. Soil water‐holding capacity ranged from very low to high. Soil total nitrogen content was related to soil organic matter content, which was highly variable on the four plots. Vine vigour was enhanced by both high water and nitrogen status. Major compounds in grapes depended mainly on vine water status. Water deficit‐stressed vines produced small berries with low sugar and low total acidity. Grape aroma potential was highest in vines under mild water deficit and moderate nitrogen supply. Severe water deficit stress seemed to limit aroma potential, as did nitrogen deficiency. Consequences for site selection and irrigation management for Sauvignon blanc are discussed. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Enhanced photoconductivity and trapping rate through control of bulk state in organic triphenylamine-based photorefractive materials

In organic optical semiconductors, it is rather challenging to achieve precise control of photoconductivity and charge trapping, which determines the device performance. This paper reports on enhanced photorefractive response rate through control of the photoconductivity and trapping rate in organic triphenylamine-based photorefractive materials by means of bulk state tuning. The bulk state in organic triphenylamine-based photorefractive composites was controlled through a rapid cooling process from various melting temperatures during sample fabrication. The photoconductivity and trapping rate were determined from photocurrent measurements. Fabrication at lower melting temperatures enhanced the trapping rate for deep traps, whereas it reduced the trapping rate for shallow traps. As a result, a faster photorefractive response was obtained.     

Genetic algorithm for robot selection and work station assignment problem

In this paper, we introduce Genetic Algorithm (GA) for optimal Robot Selection and Work station Assignment (RS/WA) problem for a CIM system. In particular, the RS/WA problem can be considered as a generalized two-dimensional multi-type bin packing problem that has been shown to be NP-hard. A multichromosome GA combined with heuristic bin packing algorithm is implemented for solving the problem and the effeciency of proposed method is shown by numerical example. Our approach may be applicable to other this kind of bin packing problems.     

A parallel processing algorithm for nonlinear programming problems

Algorithms for solving multiple criteria nonlinear programming problems are frequently based on the use of the generalized reduced gradient (GRG) metod. Since the GRG method gives complex and large size processing for computation, it takes much time to solve large-scale multiple criteria nonlinear programming problems. Therefore, parallel processing dealing with the GRG method is required to solve the problems. We propose a parallel processing algorithm for the GRG method under multiple processors systems.     

A case of liver metastasis from so-called hepatoid adenocarcinoma of stomach with lipiodol accumulation]

Although the overall survival rates for patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer have not changed in the past two decades, meta-analytic studies have confirmed that a modest increase in mean survival time can be gained with platinum-based combination chemotherapy. With appropriate selection of patients, chemotherapy will have symptomatic benefits in more than 60% of patients, and concerns regarding the costs of chemotherapy will be lessened by the observation that in some instances chemotherapy is less costly than best supportive care. Until the end of the 1980s, apart from the few active agents and their analogues no new drugs became available, but in the past 5 years several new agents have shown promising results and are now being included in combination programs. Large-scale comparative studies, looking for the combination with the best therapeutic index, are awaited with great interest. The number of patients with non-small cell lung cancer is so great that even modest improvements in therapy will have a great impact on survival rates.