Superconductivity in W-containing diamond-like nanocomposite films

Superconductivity in a tungsten-containing carbon-oxide film was reported. The film with 500 nm thickness was deposited onto polycrystalline silicon oxides using chemical vapor deposition and the co-sputtering of a tungsten metal target. The bonding state of the carbon atoms and the macroscopic and microscopic crystal structure of the film were investigated by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy measurements. From the experimental results, we determined that this film essentially had an amorphous structure. The temperature dependence on resistivity was measured in the temperature range of 2–300 K. Resistive superconducting transition was observed at 3.8 K. The dc magnetizations were measured in the temperature range of 1.8–6.5 K. The diamagnetism resulting from a superconductive state was observed below 3.75 K, which is consistent with a resistive superconducting transition. It is thought that the finite sized clusters of the different superconductive transition temperatures cooperatively produce a macroscopic superconducting phenomenon.     

Characterization of highly active silver catalyst for NOx reduction in lean-burning engine exhaust

A new Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst for removing NOx in lean exhaust gas was developed. Oxidized Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst is highly active for reduction of NOx with ethanol and propene, whereas reduced Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst is less active for these reactions. Selectivity to N₂ is also high on the oxidized Ag/Al₂O₃ compared to that on the reduced Ag/Al₂O₃. XRD and SEM studies of these two types of Ag catalysts suggest that oxidation induces an interaction between Ag and the support, where the particles are grown in large size. In contrast, the metallic Ag particles are finely dispersed by the reduction process. Although dispersion of Ag particles is decreased by the oxidation process, the catalytic activity is increased. This suggests that the Ag-alumina sites created in the high temperature oxidizing environment are active in catalytic reduction of NOx. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Bacteriological, pharmacokinetic and clinical evaluation of azithromycin in the pediatric field]

Azithromycin (AZM), a new macrolide antibiotic, in fine granules and in capsules was studied for pharmacokinetic and clinical evaluation in the pediatric patients. Antibacterial activity of AZM against 43 clinical isolates: AZM exhibited slightly lower activity against Gram-positive bacteria and 2-8-fold higher activity against Gram-negative bacteria than erythromycin or clarithromycin. Plasma or urine samples were collected from eight patients receiving the drug in fine granular form, and two patients receiving it in capsules for the determination of drug levels. The elimination half-lives of AZM after administration at dose of 10 mg/kg/day for 3 days were 50.0 and 51.2 hours for fine granules, and 41.5 hours for capsules. AUC0-infinity was 11.7 and 24.3 micrograms.hr/ml for fine granules, and 8.3 micrograms.hr/ml for capsules. The cumulative excretion rates up to 120 hours after the start of treatment were 8.24 and 13.84% for fine granules, and 3.83% for capsules. AZM was administered to 123 patients once daily at 3.7-20.0 mg/kg body weight over 3 to 5 days with reference to the standard dose of 10 mg/kg. The drug was used to treat patients with pharyngitis, tonsillitis, scarlet fever, pneumonia, mycoplasmal pneumonia, chlamydial pneumonia, otitis media, pertussis, intestinal infection, and SSTI. The effectiveness of AZM was evaluated in 109 cases. The drug was rated "excellent" in 65.1% of the patients and "good" in 29.4%, resulting in an efficacy rate of 94.5%. Furthermore, AZM eradicated 43 of 46 (93.5%) bacteria that had been identified before the treatment. Three patients complained of side effects of urticaria (1 case) and diarrhea (2 cases). Abnormal laboratory changes were reported as follows: decreased leukocyte (3 cases), increased eosinophil (5), increased platelet (2), increased eosinophil and platelet, elevated GPT (1), and elevated GOT and GPT (1). The abnormalities, however, were mild enough to raise no clinically significant problems. In conclusion, AZM in once daily regimen was effective and safe in treatment of pediatric infections.     

Improvement in D-E Hysteresis Curve Squareness of PZT Thin Films—Effect of Oxygen Partial Pressure in High-Pressure Post-Annealing

A high-pressure annealing was applied to a post-annealing process for sol-gel derived PZT thin films. The squareness of D-E hysteresis curves changes depending on both total pressure and oxygen concentration. Moreover, the change follows the product of the total pressure and the oxygen concentration, which correspond to oxygen partial pressure P_O2. Where the P_O2 is higher than 0.03 MPa, few of the squareness of the hysteresis curve are excellent. The squareness of the hysteresis curves dramatically improve as the P_O2 decreases. Where the P_O2 is lower than 0.01 MPa, the squareness deteriorates slightly. These changes in the D-E hysteresis curves are thought to be explained by the generation of lead and oxygen vacancies as a function of the P_O2.     

A study on physical and mechanical properties for soft to firm clays in Yangon area – Properties of clays deposit at the sedimentary basins in Myanmar

Recently, a great deal of foreign investment has been entered into construction of the social infrastructure of Myanmar. Many construction projects are therefore on-going, and these are especially planned in the Yangon area. While these construction booms are increasing, existing studies on the geotechnical problems in the Yangon area such as problematic soils like soft clays are limited at present. Information on soil properties has also not been shared and has been confined to individual projects. In this paper, the boring and laboratory tests carried out in the Yangon area are selected and focused upon among the tests carried out in Myanmar. Laboratory test results for clay deposits in the Yangon area are analyzed and the differences in soil properties between different sedimentary basins and sub-areas divided by the Tertiary sediment ridge that runs from north to south at the center of Yangon are clarified together with a comparison to the clays found in other countries, which have been previously investigated.     

Investigation of transient response motion of differential planetary gear train during reverse rotation and starting by using high-speed camera monitoring

Forschung im Ingenieurwesen - Planetary gear trains (PGTs) have been used in various applications, including hybrid and electric vehicles, owing to their advantages such as compactness, light...     

A 10-s doping technology for the application of low-temperaturepolysilicon TFTs to giant microelectronics

A bucket-type high-density (0.25-1.2-mA/cm²) low-energy (500-2000 V) ion source was utilized for high-speed phosphorus doping directly into a thin polysilicon layer without cap SiO₂. Doping gas with He dilution was selected to reduce etching of polysilicon film. Excimer laser (XeCl, 8 mm×8 mm) pulse annealing was introduced to activate effectively the doped impurity. The combination of these techniques provided a practically low sheet resistance for the TFT source, drain, and gate with a short time doping. The low-temperature polysilicon TFT fabricated with a doping time of 10 s had characteristics comparable to those of that fabricated by a longer time doping or conventional ion implantation, showing the practicality of this technology and its promise for giant microelectronics     

An experimental study of energy dips for speech and music

Speech signals generally have many intervals with low energy “energy dips”. For music signals, energy dips are not always remarkable. We studied stochastic features of energy dips for speech and music signals. A certain difference was found between the signals in the length of energy dips. Also, the number of energy dips in a time window and their distribution were investigated. From this distribution, a threshold number of energy dips was estimated which provided a scheme for the discrimination of speech from music.     

Health-monitoring technologies for alumina-fiber-reinforced plastics

Transmitted light could detect matrix cracks that occurred in the early stages of fracture of alumina-fiber-reinforced plastics (alumina-FRPs); these cracks could not be detected by acoustic emission (AE). An optical-fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor could detect the matrix cracks but it must be embedded in the FRPs. To determine which wavelength is sensitive to the defects in the FRP, the spectra of the transmitted and reflected light were measured. The intensity of the transmitted light, especially in the visible region (wavelength: 400–800 nm), decreased as the bending stiffness of the test piece decreased. It is thus concluded that to monitor the decrease in bending stiffness of FRPs, a simple sensor using a visible ray is good enough. And this transmitted-light NDE technique can work in the strong electromagentic field associated with a superconductor. It will therefore be useful for detecting defects in the FRP of the load-support system in service.