Characterization of a unique T-cell clone established from a patient with HAM/TSP which recognized HTLV-I-infected T-cell antigens as well as spinal cord tissue antigens

PURPOSE: To describe our technique of vitrectomy and silicone oil tamponade for managing retinal detachment and to report the last results according to the posterior and anterior proliferative vitreoretinopathy. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in 108 patients who underwent vitreoretinal surgery and silicone oil tamponade for proliferative vitreo-retinopathy, 64% patients had already been operated without success and 42% underwent vitrectomy with SF6 or C3F8. Diffuse posterior proliferative vitreo-retinopathy (grade C3-D) was present in 64% patients and anterior proliferative vitreoretinopathy was present in 43.5%. Silicone oil was removed in 79% patients after a mean duration of 6.3 months. It was replaced by 16% C3F8. All patients were followed for a minimum of 6 months. RESULTS: Before silicone oil removal, 55% of the retinas were reattached posterior to the scleral buckle with one operation, 78% after 2 operations and 88% after 3 or 4 operations. An average of 2.1 vitrectomy surgeries were performed. Reproliferation was correlated with the anterior proliferative vitreo-retinopathy (p < 0.001), posterior proliferative vitreo-retinopathy (p < 0.01) or previous vitrectomy (p < 0.05). The final visual acuity was 1/20 or better in 61% of the eyes and 2/10 or better in 30.5%. After silicone oil removal, 8% retinas redetached, 21% of the eyes had hypertony, 7.5% had hypotony and 7% of the corneas had dystrophy. CONCLUSION: Silicone oil tamponade was effective for the treatment of retinal detachments with proliferative vitreo-retinopathy. Since the main complications were hypertony and corneal dystrophy, silicone oil should be reserved for severe proliferative vitreo-retinopathy cases.     

Melt rheology of high-density polyethylene

The melt rheology of high density polyethylene was investigated. Linear viscoelasticity, capillary flow properties, and molecular weight parameter were measured with a plate relaxometer, capillary rheometer, and gel permeation chromatography, respectively. Intimate correlations among the slope of relaxation modulus curve, non-Newtonian flow behavior, Barus effect, and molecular weight parameter, M_z(M_z+1)/M_w, respectively, were found.     

Radical scavenging reactions of α-tocopherol II. The reaction with some alkyl radicals

α-Tocopherol was reacted with some alkyl radicals (ethyl, n-propyl, iso-propyl, n-butyl, and sec-butyl radical) to study its radical scavenging reactivity. The two types of products (alkyl ethers of α-tocopherol and cyclohexadienones) were obtained on treatment of each radical. These structures were determined by the spectral analysis. It was observed that α-tocopherol is very sensitive to the alkyl racidals and that the yields of the cyclohexadienones are decreased and that of the alkyl ethers are not much varied with an increase of carbon numbers of the alkyl radicals. Contribution TIMG-I No. 6.     

Effect of high-temperature protective coatings on fatigue lives of nickel-based superalloys

This study concerns MCrAlY coatings (M is Ni, Co or both) sprayed by a vacuum plasma spraying process for protection against high-temperature corrosion and oxidation of gas turbine components, such as turbine blades and duct segments. The effect of high-temperature protective coatings on fatigue lives of nickel-based superalloys were investigated at high temperature under push–pull loading and rotary bending and then compared with uncoated superalloys, such as equiaxed IN738LC, unidirectional solidified CM247LC and single-crystal CMSX-2. The high-cycle fatigue lives of MCrAlY-coated superalloys at high temperature under push–pull loading showed an inferior performance when compared with the uncoated superalloys. This was because the crack initiation site was different. The high-cycle fatigue cracks of nickel-based superalloys initiated at casting cavities which were exposed on the specimen surface, whereas the high-cycle fatigue cracks of MCrAlY-coated specimens initiated at interface defects, such as small pores and grid residue, between the MCrAlY coating and the substrate and grew into the MCrAlY coating, and then into the substrate. Similarly, the rotary bending fatigue properties of MCrAlY-coated superalloys at high temperature showed an inferior performance when compared with the uncoated superalloys. This is because of a high stress due to the higher Young's modulus of the MCrAlY coating (in comparison with the substrate) being induced at the MCrAlY coating surface. The crack initiation site was on the specimen surface in both cases of the nickel-based superalloys and the MCrAlY-coated superalloys, respectively. As a result, it was considered that, for rotary bending tests, the fatigue life reduction was due to the high stress that originated from the difference of elastic constants between the MCrAlY coating and the superalloy. Consequently, in fatigue life design it is necessary to take account of the stress levels in a coating layer.     

Quantitative modeling of reactive sputtering process for MgO thin film deposition

Reactive sputtering process of magnesium target in d.c. planar magnetron discharge using argon and oxygen gases as buffer and reactive gases, respectively, has been investigated. A drastic mode transition between metallic and oxide modes has been observed due to a large difference in the secondary electron emission coefficients of magnesium and magnesium oxide. To describe the experimental results quantitatively, a new reactive sputtering model has been developed. The model is fundamentally based on a simple reactive gas balance model proposed by Berg et al. in 1988, but includes the change in the secondary electron emission coefficient of target. The modified model can deal with the change of plasma properties through the change of ion to electron current ratio at the target, and can quantitatively describe experimental results such as oxygen flow rate dependence of deposition rate and discharge voltage, which were obtained at a constant discharge current.     

Quantum fidelity and dynamical scar states on chaotic billiard system

It is found that the decay rate of the quantum fidelity is suppressed, when the periodic orbit scars in the accumulation of the time-evolving wavefunction become obvious in two-dimensional (2D) nanostructure. The fidelity is numerically evaluated by the time-evolution of the wavepacket inside a 2D chaotic nanostructure: the stadium, which is the typical chaotic system. The suppression is apparent in the Lyapunov regime, where the decay rate does not depend on the strength of the perturbation.     

New technique for the fabrication of conductive polymer/insulating polymer composite films

The electrochemical polymerization of pyrrole on an ITO (indium‐tin oxide)‐coated glass electrode with an insulating film of poly(vinyl alcohol), PVA, produces a flexible composite polymer film with electrical, optical, and electrochemical properties very similar to polypyrrole (PPy). The rate of electrochemical polymerization depends on the diffusion of the electrolyte across the PVA film to the ITO electrode. In particular, hydrophilic solvents easily penetrate into the PVA film. By applying this new process, we demonstrate a unique method of forming electrically conductive patterns in PVA film. It will be possible to develop electrodes for electrical stimulation of the nervous system using a conducting polymer, PPy. By a similar technique we have fabricated poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene), PEDOT/PVA, composite films and have investigated their electrochemical basic properties. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 174(4): 1–8, 2011; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21055     

Study on rough-surface biaxially oriented polypropylene film. I. Formation of β-form crystals in sheet cast with T-die extruder

Sheets were cast by extruding polypropylenes (PP) which contained γ-quinacridone, a β-crystal nucleator, at levels of 0–10 ppm using a 30 mm ϕ extruder with a T-die at extrusion temperatures of 200–260°C and chill roll temperatures of 30–90°C. The influences of raw resin characteristics such as γ-quinacridone content and MFI of the base PP and casting conditions such as extrusion temperature and chill roll temperature on the amount of β-crystals formed in the sheet were studied. The amount of the β-crystals formed was larger as the γ-quinacridone content was higher and the extrusion temperature was lower and almost independent of the chill roll temperature. As for the influence of MFI of the base PP, the amount of the β-crystals formed was maximum at MFI ≑ 8 dg/min.     

Inelastic stress-strain response for notched specimen of Cr-1Mo steel at 600°C

Following a series of cooperative studies A-I and A-II (phase III) concerning the inelastic behaviour of high temperature materials under uniform state of stress, finite element analyses were carried out on circumferential notched cylinders subjected to plasticity-creep interaction conditions. Using an electric capacitance type extensometer “Strain-Pecker”, which is capable of measuring a local strain response with a gauge length of 0.5 mm under high temperature conditions, stress-strain responses for both global and local regions near the notch root were evaluated. Ten kinds of inelastic constitutive model were introduced into a finite element code, and the responses for four kinds of loading pattern were examined for two types of notch shape.