A High-Speed Optical Data Highway for Industrial Control Systems

Recent application of distributed control systems to large-and medium-scale industrial plants requires effective and high-speed communication among the control devices each other to ensure high-performance operation.     

Improved Filtration Performance of Continuous Alumina-fiber-reinforced Mullite Composites for Hot-Gas Cleaning

The effect of filtration layer morphology on filtration performance at 673 K was investigated for continuous alumina-fiber-reinforced mullite composite filters that capture fly ash on their outer surfaces. Two types of filtration layers were prepared on the outer surfaces: a mono-layer consisting of mullite agglomerated particulates and a bi-layer, with mullite whiskers formed by a vapor-phase reaction and strongly adhered to the particulates exposed on the outer surfaces. For filters with mono-filtration layers, the filtration efficiency was improved slightly by increasing the filtration layer thickness. However, the maximum differential pressure increased during the filtration tests. Adhesion of whiskers to the outer surface decreased the maximum differential pressure to about one-third less than that with the mono-filtration layer. This low differential pressure remained constant throughout the duration of the test, with corresponding increases in filtration efficiency.     

Rail gun experiment (HYPAC) at ISAS [meteorite impact simulation]

A railgun for the study of the interaction of meteorites with planetary surfaces and the interaction of space debris was developed. The authors have attained a velocity constantly higher than 5 km/s, with a maximum of 6 km/s. The importance of plasma confinement behind the projectile to prevent a leakage is shown to realize a high velocity. An effective acceleration using an aluminum rail is also shown     

Low-dose N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester treatment improves survival rate and decreases myocardial injury in a murine model of viral myocarditis induced by coxsackievirus B3

Recent reports demonstrated the expression of inducible-type NO synthase in the heart of viral myocarditis. Since NO has multiple biological actions, a substantial amount of NO produced in the diseased heart may act either as a cytotoxic or as a cytoprotective molecule in the process of myocarditis. In the present study, we examined the effect of inhibition of NO synthesis on the mortality and the extent of myocardial injury in a murine model of coxsackievirus B3-induced myocarditis. We fed the infected mice drinking water containing a relatively low concentration (0.37 mmol/L) of N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) for 14 days after virus inoculation. This dose of L-NAME did not change virus titers in the heart. However, L-NAME-fed mice showed a significant reduction in mortality compared with those fed normal drinking water (nontreated mice). On the contrary, mice given a higher concentration of L-NAME (3.7 mmol/L) exhibited increased mortality. In addition, mice fed a low concentration of L-NAME showed reductions in the severity of heart failure and in the area of myocardial necrosis. Although systemic blood pressure was reduced in nontreated mice, in mice fed a low concentration of L-NAME, it was maintained at a level similar to that in uninfected control mice, L-NAME-treated mice also exhibited a reduction in the degree of inflammatory cell infiltration associated with decreased production of tissue prostaglandin E2 levels in the heart compared with nontreated mice. Therefore, NO is likely to be involved in the pathogenic mechanisms of myocardial injury and resultant cardiac dysfunction in a murine model of coxsackievirus B3-induced viral myocarditis.     

Selective sorption of heavy metal thiocyanate complexes on crown ether resin

The sorption behavior of heavy metal thiocyanate complexes was investigated for dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DB18C6) resin and bis[2-(o-methoxyphenoxy)ethyl]ether (BMPE) resin. The DB18C6 resin showed a high sorption ability and the degree of zinc sorption increased significantly with thiocyanate concentration. This behavior was not observed for BMPE resin. The sorption behavior was influenced by the countercation species, and the degree of sorption of zinc ions showed the maximum when the potassium thiocyanate was used as a complexing salt. The sorbed species appear to be KZn(SCN)₃, K₂Zn(SCN)₄ in the potassium thiocyanate system, and Zn(SCN)₂ in the lithium thiocyanate system, respectively, according to analysis of the sorption equilibrium. Sodium and ammonium thiocyanate systems show an intermediate behavior of the two. The sorption selectivity for DB18C6 resin depended not only on the hydrophobic nature of heavy metal thiocyanate complexes but also on the stabilization of counter cation species with crown ether matrix, and the sorption selectively was found to be effectively controlled by countercation species according to the cation-chelation mechanism.     

An outcome of nuclear safety research in JAERI: case study for LOCA

An outcome of nuclear safety research (NSR) done by JAERI (Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute) was case studied by the bibliometric method. (1) For LOCA (loss-of-coolant accident) a domestic share of JAERI in monoclinic research paper was 63% at the past (20) 1978–1982 but was decreased to 40% at the present 1998–2002. For co-authored papers a domestic share between JAERI and PS (public sectors) was zero at past (20) but increased to 4% at the present. Research cooperation is active between Tokyo University and JAERI or between JAERI and Nagoya University. (2) It is revealed that LOCA outputs born by NSR-JAERI reflected partly to those of the Safety Licensing Guidelines, however, a share of NSR-JAERI could not determined due to the lack of necessary information in the Guideline.