Effects of photoirradiation in UV and VUV regions during plasma exposure to polymers

Interactions between photons irradiated from Ar-O₂ mixture plasmas and polymer surfaces were investigated on the basis of depth analyses of chemical bonding states in the nano-surface layer of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films via hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HXPES) and conventional X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The PET films were exposed to photons from the Ar-O₂ mixture plasmas by covering the PET samples with MgF₂ and quartz windows as optical filters for evaluation of photoirradiation effects in ultraviolet (UV) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) regions. The HXPES results indicated that the degradation of the chemical bonding states due to photoirradiation in regions was insignificant in deeper regions up to about 50 nm from the surface. Whereas, conventional XPS analysis showed that CO bond, OCO bond and CO bond increased after photoirradiation in UV and VUV regions. These results suggest that the increase in oxygen functionalities (CO bond, OCO bond and CO bond) may be attributed to chemical reactions and/or terminations of scissed bonds via photodecompositions of the polymer with oxygen and/or OH species (oxygen molecules and radicals during plasma exposure and/or oxygen molecules and moisture after taking the PET samples out of the plasma reactor to the ambient air) in the vicinity of the sample surface.     

Combined effects of radon inhalation and antioxidant vitamin administration on acute alcohol-induced hepatopathy in mice

It has been reported that radon inhalation activates antioxidative functions in liver and has an antioxidative effect against hepatopathy similar to that of the antioxidative effects of ascorbic acid (VC) or α-tocopherol (VE). In this study, we examined the combined effects of radon inhalation and antioxidant vitamin administration on acute alcohol-induced hepatopathy in mice. ICR mice were subjected to intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of alcohol after pretreating with air only (sham) or radon at a concentration of approximately 2000 Bq/m³ for 24 hours and i.p. administration of VC (300 mg/kg body weight) or VE (300 mg/kg body weight). In mice injected with alcohol, the combined radon and antioxidant vitamins treatment significantly decreased the activities of glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase in serum compared to not only the alcohol-administered group (sham group), but also the radon inhalation with alcohol administration group or the vitamin and alcohol administration group. In addition, radon inhalation significantly increased the antioxidant level, in such as the catalase activity and the total glutathione content in liver compared to the sham group. These results suggested that the combined radon and antioxidant vitamin treatment could effectively inhibit alcohol-induced hepatopathy in mice without any antagonizing action.     

Carbon-supported growth of cross-linked platinum nanowires by surfactant templating and their elecrochemical characterization

Platinum/carbon (Pt/C) composite materials were prepared by the hydrazine reduction of H2PtCl6 confined to a mixed surfactant lytropic liquid crystal (LC)/C mixture with varying amounts of water. The reaction at relatively low water contents successfully yielded cross-linked Pt nanowires with wire-widths of 2-5 nm. The novel Pt nanostructure is believed to be from poorly hydrated hexagonal domains formed together with layered domains by the phase separation of the precursory LC mixture in the presence of carbon. Electrochemical measurements using cyclic volutammetry and membrane electrode assemblies revealed that the cross-linked nanowired Pt/C composite exhibits fairly high electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction, as well as a high performance as the cathode material for polymer electrolyte fuel cells.     

Pinning of Dislocation Motion in bcc Solid 3He

We have measured the dissipation of dislocation motion in bcc solid ³ He using the high-Q torsional oscillator technique at 1079 Hz. We observed a broad maximum in the temperature dependence of the dissipation. The maximum of the dissipation can be explained by the theory of Granato and Lucke in which the dislocation mobility depends upon the interactions of dislocations with point defects. ⁴ He impurities tend to bind to the dislocation lines at low temperatures and pin this dislocation motion. The maximum of the dissipation corresponds to the depinning of the dislocation motion. From the amplitude dependence of the depinning temperature we first obtained the activation energy of 1.03 K of the impurity ⁴ He atom trapped on the dislocations in bcc solid ³ He at a molar volume of 24.30 cm ³ /mol. The activation energy of the impurity atom in bcc ³ He was found to be larger than the value of 0.7 Kin hcp ⁴ He.     

The roles of the N-linked glycans and extension regions of soybean beta-conglycinin in folding, assembly and structural features

Beta-conglycinin, one of the dominant storage proteins of soybean, is a trimer composed of three subunits, alpha, alpha' and beta. All subunits are N-glycosylated and alpha and alpha' contain extension regions in addition to the core regions common to all subunits. Non-glycosylated individual subunits and deletion mutants (alpha(c) and alpha'(c)) lacking the extension regions of alpha and alpha' were expressed in Escherichia coli. All recombinant proteins were purified to near homogeneity and appeared to have the correct conformation, as judged by CD, density-gradient centrifugation and gel-filtration profiles, indicating that the N-linked glycans and extension regions are not essential for the folding and the assembly into trimers of beta-conglycinin. Density-gradient centrifugation, gel-filtration and differential scanning calorimetry profiles of the recombinant proteins and the native beta-conglycinin indicated that the N-linked glycans and extension regions contribute to the dimension of beta-conglycinin but not to the density and the thermal stability. Comparing the solubilities of the individual subunits with those of deletion mutants, only the alpha and alpha' subunits were soluble at lower ionic strength (mu < 0.25) at around the pH value of the endoplasmic reticulum. This suggests that the extension regions play an important role in the prevention of aggregation in the endoplasmic reticulum in analogy with the N-linked glycans.     

Clinical features and treatment of sarcoidosis involving the central nervous system

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment modalities of three cases with neurosarcoidosis, which involved the central nervous system (CNS). CASES: Three men with neurosarcoidosis, aged 27, 29 and 60 years, are presented. Two of them had previously been given a diagnosis of sarcoidosis. The clinical symptoms of these cases included diabetes insipidus, pituitary dysfunction, seizure, mental disorder, visual field disturbance and pyramidal tract signs. In these cases, CT scan and MRI showed the presence of a tumor near the pituitary gland, diffuse nodules in the subarachnoid space or meningoencephalitis associated with angitis. The level of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) in the sera and in the cerebrospinal fluid, were elevated in the two cases who had no brain biopsy. All three cases were treated with steroids; two of them received pulse steroid therapy. RESULTS: The two cases who received pulse steroid therapy responded quickly, with improvement in clinical features, serum ACE levels and neuroradiological findings. Under oral administration of steroids, all three cases recovered with complete remission of neurosarcoidosis except for endocrinological symptoms. DISCUSSION: The main pathological changes of neurosarcoidosis are granulomatous angitis of the venular walls and occasionally, of the capillaries near the meninx and Virchow-Robin space. The patients also had symptoms of secondary meningoencephalitis. These changes were mainly located in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. The patients had complex symptoms resulting from endocrine system granuloma, as well as from cerebral ischemia. The severity of the disease and effectiveness of treatment, can be evaluated by measuring ACE levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (over 1. 0 IU/l), and by Gd-enhanced MRI. Early pulse steroid therapy with subsequent oral steroid administration is thought to be important for neurosarcoidosis treatment, in order to prevent irreversible damage in the CNS.     

Development of XLPE insulated DC cable

This paper describes the development of dc XLPE cable. Through a series of material investigations, an XLPE compound containing highly purified special filler was developed. To check the dc insulation performance of the cable insulated with this new material, a prototype cable with 9 mm insulation thickness was manufactured. It was confirmed that the performance of the prototype cable was excellent. Based on the study of the prototype cable, a 250-kV dc cable with 20 mm insulation thickness was designed and manufactured. Through a series of voltage tests, excellent dc insulation performance of the developed cable was verified.     

Design of an adaptive observer for sensorless vector control of induction machines under regenerating conditions

The objective of this investigation is to stabilize a sensorless vector control system of induction motors by means of an adaptive observer in regenerating mode at very low speed. The adaptive observer gain is designed by means of the Routh–Hurwitz criterion. It is verified by simulation and experiment that the proposed system is stable. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 145(4): 78–87, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10202     

A high fill factor and progressive scan PtSi Schottky-barrier IR-CCD image sensor using new wiring technology

A back surface illuminated 130/spl times/130 pixel PtSi Schottky-barrier (SB) IR-CCD image sensor has been developed by using new wiring technology, referred to as CLOSE Wiring, CLOSE Wiring, designed to effectively utilize the space over the SB photodiodes, brings about flexibility in clock line designing, high fill factor, and large charge handling capability in a vertical CCD (VCCD). This image sensor uses a progressive scanned interline-scheme, and has a 64.4% fill factor in a 30 /spl mu/m/spl times/30 /spl mu/m pixel, a 3.9 mm/spl times/3.9 mm image area, and a 5.5 mm/spl times/5.5 mm chip size. The charge handling capability for the 3.3 /spl mu/m wide VCCD achieves 9.8/spl times/10/sup 5/ electrons, The noise equivalent temperature difference obtained was 0.099 K for operation at 120 frames/sec with a 50 mm f/1.3 lens.<>     

Preparation of long sticky ends for universal ligation-independent cloning: Sequential T4 DNA polymerase treatments

Ligation-independent cloning (LIC) is a useful method for efficient directional cloning of a PCR product. LIC requires a specially designed vector containing a long stretch of sequence that is missing any one of the four nucleotides. When the linearized vector is treated with T4 DNA polymerase, in the presence of the absent base, long single-stranded overhangs are generated that are suitable for cloning. In this study, long and efficient sticky ends for LIC were produced by sequential T4 DNA polymerase treatments at non-specific sequences on a commercially available vector. All restriction enzyme sites become available in the current LIC.