Detection of back-side pit on a ferrous plate by magnetic flux leakage method with analyzing magnetic field vector

We have developed a magnetic flux leakage (MFL) system using magnetic resistive (MR) sensors for detecting two dimensional magnetic field components, and an induction coil that generates low magnetic field strengths and extremely low frequencies. The signal at each scanned measurement point (i) was divided by the signal strength M_mes,i and phase α_i by a lock-in amplifier. Using the strength M_mes,i and phase α_i, we calculated the imaginary part of the signal using the common phase β. By optimization of the common phase β to the imaginary part, the analyzed scanning data curve was shown to be effective in estimating the size (depth and diameter) of back-side pits on a ferrous plate. Comparing the two dimensional magnetic field components of leakage, the imaginary part of the y-component parallel to the induced magnetic field was found to be suitable for detecting the back-side pits.     

Microanalyses on the RuO2 Particle–Glass Matrix Interface in Thick-Film Resistors with Piezoresistive Effects

The piezoresistive mechanisms of composite thick films based on RuO₂ particles and both calcium-borosilicate and bismuth-borosilicate glass matrices were investigated by chemical and electrical microanalyses. The resistor based on bismuth-borosilicate glass showed higher sensitivity than that based on calcium-borosilicate glass. It was confirmed that the diffusion of ruthenium into glass affects the binding state of RuO₂ at the interface of the glass. Furthermore, an intermediate resistive layer is detected around the RuO₂ particle. These results suggest that the piezoresistive effect is related to a change in the electrical conductivity of the interfacial reaction layer caused by the diffusion of ruthenium into glass.     

Structural phase transitions of methane+ethane mixed-gas hydrate induced by 1,1-dimethylcyclohexane

Methane+ethane+1,1-dimethylcyclohexane+water system was investigated by using Raman spectroscopy and isothermal phase equilibrium measurements under four-phase (gas+aqueous+large guest species+hydrate phases) equilibrium conditions at 288.15 K. The results suggest that three kinds of hydrate structures emerge at 288.15 K in the methane+ethane+1,1-dimethylcyclohexane+water system. The hydrate structure for this system changed from structure-H to structure-I via structure-II with increase in the mole ratio of ethane to methane.     

A 600-MHz 54×54-bit multiplier with rectangular-styledWallace tree

This paper presents an efficient layout method for a high-speed multiplier. The Wallace-tree method is generally used for high-speed multipliers. In the conventional Wallace tree, however, every partial product is added in a single direction from top to bottom. Therefore, the number of adders increases as the adding stage moves forward. As a result, it generates a dead area when the multiplier is laid out in a rectangle. To solve this problem, we propose a rectangular Wallace-tree construction method. In our method, the partial products are divided into two groups and added in the opposite direction. The partial products in the first group are added downward, and the partial products in the second group are added upward. Using this method, we eliminate the dead area. Also, we optimized the carry propagation between the two groups to realize high speed and a simple layout, We applied it to a 54×54-bit multiplier. The 980 μm×1000 μm area size and the 600 MHz clock speed have been achieved using 0.18 μm CMOS technology     

Ex vivo culture of peripheral blood CD34+ cells: effects of hematopoietic growth factors on production of neutrophilic precursors

A major potential application for ex vivo culture of hematopoietic progenitor cells is the treatment of cytopenia following high-dose chemotherapy and hematopoietic transplantation. We have previously postulated that infusion of a sufficient number of neutrophil postprogenitor cells generated by ex vivo culture of CD34+ cells may be able to abrogate neutropenia. In this article, we describe further development of an efficient stromal-free, cytokine-dependent, static culture system for generation of these cells. Our previous studies indicated that maximal production of nucleated cells and myeloid progenitor cells from PB CD34+ cells occurred with multiple hematopoietic growth factor (HGF), notably the 6-HGF combination of interleukin (IL)-1, IL-3, IL-6, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), granulocyte-macrophage-CSF (GM-CSF), and stem cell factor (SCF). In the present study, we determine the contribution of each of these 6 HGF in generation of neutrophilic precursors. SCF, G-CSF, and IL-3 were found to be the most important HGF for production of neutrophilic cells. The 4-HGF combination of IL-3, IL-6, G-CSF, and SCF was optimized by performing dose-response experiments and shown to be as potent as 6 HGF for production of nascent CFU-GM and neutrophilic precursors.     

Processing of ethanol fermentation broths by Candida krusei to separate bioethanol by pervaporation using silicone rubber‐coated silicalite membranes

BACKGROUND: Pervaporation employing ethanol‐permselective silicalite membranes as an alternative to distillation is a promising approach for refining low‐concentration bioethanol solutions. However, to make the separation process practicable, it is extremely important to avoid the problems caused by the adsorption of succinate on the membrane during the separation process. In this work, the pervaporation of an ethanol fermentation broth without succinate was investigated, as well as the influence of several fermentation broth nutrient components. RESULTS: Candida krusei IA‐1 produces an extremely low level of succinate. The decrease in permeate ethanol concentration through a silicone rubber‐coated silicalite membrane during the separation of low‐succinate C. krusei IA‐1 fermentation broth was significantly improved when compared with that obtained using Saccharomyces cerevisiae broth. By treating the fermentation broth with activated carbon, bioethanol was concentrated as efficiently as with binary mixtures of ethanol/water. The total flux was improved upto 56% of that obtained from the separation of binary mixtures, compared with 43% before the addition of activated carbon. Nutrients such as peptone, yeast extract and corn steep liquor had a negative effect on pervaporation, but this response was distinct from that caused by succinate. CONCLUSION: For consistent separation of bioethanol from C. krusei IA‐1 fermentation broth by pervaporation, it is useful to treat the low nutrient broth with activated carbon. To further improve pervaporation performance, it will be necessary to suppress the accumulation of glycerol. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

A case of retinal detachment in Kniest dysplasia treated with vitreous surgery

We report a case of retinal detachment with Kniest dysplasia for which vitreous surgery was effective. The patient was a 7-year-old female who had the typical ocular and physical findings of this disease. Visual acuity was light perception alone due to a hypermature cataract and bullous retinal detachment. We performed cataract surgery and pars plana vitrectomy, and used silicone oil tamponade. After seven months, the silicone oil was removed, and visual acuity improved to 0.09. We conclude that bullous retinal detachment with Kniest dysplasia can be treated by vitreous surgery in combination with the use of silicone oil tamponade.     

Enhancement of low density lipoprotein binding to both low density lipoprotein receptor-positive and- negative cells by tetracycline antibiotics

Some tetracycline (TC) antibiotics, including TC and anhydrotetracycline, have been found to enhance specific binding of low density lipoprotein (LDL) to both LDL receptor-positive and-negative cells at relatively higher concentrations. When incubated at 37°C, the ability of LDL receptor-negative human fibroblasts to bind ¹²⁵I-LDL was increased from<2 to 45 ng/mg by 170 μM TC. In normal human fibroblasts and Hep G2 cells, ¹²⁵I-LDL binding was elevated 1.4- to 2-fold by 113 μM TC. The ¹²⁵I-LDL binding in the presence of TC was diminished by both heparin and EDTA. The enhancement by TC was not observed when ¹²⁵I-LDL binding was assayed at 4°C. TC enhanced LDL binding to paraformaldehyde-fixed Hep G2 cells, excluding LDL receptor induction in the mechanism. These results demonstrated that TC enhanced cellular LDL binding through a process not involving functional LDL receptors.     

Group feature extraction based on matrix factorization from long-range office-logging data

To increase the productivity of knowledge workers, it is necessary to manage their organization so that they are motivated to collaborate with each other for their synergy. However, it is difficult for managers to grasp the explicit interactions of workers in the organization all the time. Owing to advanced communications technology, and the reduced size and improved capabilities of computers, we are able to record group behaviors as logging data in the office. The aim of this study is to extract features of group behavior from long-range office-logging data. We apply principal component analysis to the data matrix whose element is the mean travel velocity calculated from an individual’s trajectory per day. The results demonstrate the feasibility of our approach, since nontrivial informative group features can be extracted.