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The diode-pumped slab laser for inertial fusion energy driver has been demonstrated, which produces the 1053-nm output energy of 10 J at 10 Hz. The glass slab laser amplifier has been pumped by quasi-CW 290-kW AlGaAs laser-diode arrays at 803 nm. The optical system can compensate for thermal effects by use of zigzag optical propagation, image-relayed telescope, and 45° Faraday rotator. The output energy of 10.6 J at 1 Hz with the optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 19.9% has been successfully obtained. Also, the 10-Hz operation has been performed with an output energy of 5.1 J. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 155(2): 27–35, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20288

The conversion of soluble, nontoxic amyloid beta-protein (Abeta) to aggregated, toxic Abeta rich in beta-sheet structures is considered to be the key step in the development of Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, extensive studies have been carried out on the mechanisms involved in Abeta aggregation and the characterization of Abeta aggregates formed in aqueous solutions mimicking biological fluids. On the other hand, several investigators pointed out that membranes play an important role in Abeta aggregation. However, it remains unclear whether Abeta aggregates formed in solution and membranes are identical and whether the former can bind to membranes. In this study, using a dye-labeled Abeta-(1-40) as well as native Abeta-(1-40), the properties of Abeta aggregates formed in buffer and raft-like membranes composed of monosialoganglioside GM1/cholesterol/sphingomyelin were compared. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic measurements suggested that Abeta aggregates formed in buffer and in membranes have different beta-sheet structures. Fluorescence experiments revealed that Abeta aggregated in buffer did not show any affinity for membranes.

In order to improve direction stability of a power wheelchair on a cross-sloped surface, a downhill turning prevention control (DTPC) has been developed by some researchers and wheelchair suppliers. The DTPC-induced effect on wheelchair maneuver, however, has not been well clarified. In this study, we quantitatively assessed DTPC-induced changes in joystick control strategies during a driving task on a cross-sloped test course. Among several evaluation measures calculated from the joystick inputs during the test trials, the x-axis joystick displacement amount was found to be significantly decreased by the DTPC. This result suggests that the DTPC can save wheelchair users from the burden of compensation control on cross-sloped surfaces. © 2012 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

BACKGROUND Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) is the predominant cause of humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy (HHM). METHODS Using a PTHrP-specific monoclonal antibody (MoAb), 4B3, the authors investigated the immunohistochemical localization of PTHrP in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded sections of normal human kidney tissues and tissues from 42 human renal cell carcinomas obtained at operation or autopsy. RESULTS In normal renal tissues, the distal tubules and collecting ducts showed positive immunostaining. PTHrP was detected in 40 of 42 renal cell carcinoma tissues (95%). Histopathologically, the granular cell subtypes of renal cell carcinomas tended to be more strongly positive than the clear cell subtypes. There was no significant correlation between the level of immunostaining and each patient's serum calcium level. CONCLUSION PTHrP was commonly observed in renal cell carcinomas, and no significant correlation was seen between the intensity of PTHrP staining and the serum calcium level.

Crystalline carbon nitride was easily synthesized from CN radicals prepared by the reaction between N atoms and a graphite rod anode in the argon-nitrogen plasma arc at atmospheric pressure. The deposits on Si(111) wafer substrate were identified as β-C 3 N 4 by the x-ray diffraction method, and the C-N bond was detected in the deposit by infrared (IR) spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The existence of sp3 orbital on the C atom in C 3 N 4 is presumed from the XPS spectra of the valence band of the deposit

In the presence of the dicationic catalysts derived from PtCl2(ligand) or PdCl2(ligand) (ligand = 2PPh3, diphosphine) and excess AgPF6 addition of MeOH to dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate smoothly proceeded under mild conditions to give dimethyl methoxyfumarate selectively. The dicationic platinum catalysts were more catalytically active for the addition reaction than the corresponding palladium catalysts.

Si 3 N 4 thin films were deposited on silicon wafer or α-Al 2 O 3 wafer substrates from methylsilazane in a microwave nitrogen-hydrogen-mixture plasma at substrate temperatures or 590 to 1000 K. The deposits were identified by IR spectroscopy and XPS as approximately stoichiometric Si 3 N 4 , and they contained small amounts of impurities. Decomposition or the methylsilazane in the plasma may be one of the reasons for the lower deposition temperature of the Si 3 N 4

The diamond deposition on molybdenum substrate was examined in the Ar/H 2 dc plasma jet adding dichlorobenzene as the carbon source compared with adding benzene. Well-faceted, high quality diamond was formed on the substrate when dichlorobenzene was used as the carbon source. Graphite or amorphous carbon was not observed on the surface of the deposits by Raman spectroscopy, though the impurities were observed on the surface of the deposits from the plasma jet with benzene as the carbon source. A chlorine abstraction of surface-adsorbed hyhdrogen plays a dominant role in activating the diamond surface, which thus gives rise to higher diamond deposition rates and removal of graphite or amorphous carbon.

Practically, ammonia is made in the Haber process, in which the synthesis is carried out on promoted iron catalyst at higher pressures and temperatures, In the plasma process, NH radicals were formed in the nitrogen-hydrogen plasma and the NH radicals would be quenched by hydrogen molecules to form ammonia. When the catalyst was placed in the plasma, synergistic effects of plasmas and catalysts on the ammonia synthesis were observed. The species in the ECR plasma do not collid in the plasma and the ammonia formation reaction would proceed only on the surface of the catalyst. Thus the reaction occurred in the ECR plasma apparatus was investigated from both the identifications of species in the plasma and adsorbed species on the surface of steel substrate placed in the plasma to clarify the reaction scheme of the ammonia synthesis. A dissociative adsorption of excited nitrogen molecules and molecular ions or a direct adsorption of NH radicals on the surface of the catalyst would promote the formation reaction of ammonia.

Si 3 N 4 thin films were deposited on silicon wafer or α-Al 2 O 3 wafer substrates from methylsilazane in a microwave nitrogen-hydrogen-mixture plasma at substrate temperatures or 590 to 1000 K. The deposits were identified by IR spectroscopy and XPS as approximately stoichiometric Si 3 N 4 , and they contained small amounts of impurities. Decomposition or the methylsilazane in the plasma may be one of the reasons for the lower deposition temperature of the Si 3 N 4

In treatment of problems of domains governed by either Laplace or Poisson type partial differential equations, such as in field-effect semiconductor devices, an important problem in practice is the determination of the boundary between the two domains. This paper presents a method using the finite-element approach to determine the Laplace-Poisson domain boundary. This method gives the solutions to the shape determination problems with high-order nonlinearity by adding a modification quantity in applying the sensitivity analysis for given initial boundary shape. Thus, it has the advantages of clear mathematical structure and convenience in applications. As a concrete application example, the two-dimensional junction FET is taken. Problems involving determination of the depletion layer (Poisson domain) and the current path (Laplace domain) are investigated. Results show that the boundary determination method presented here yields such FET characteristics as the field distribution, substrate effect and the pinch-off voltage and useful knowledge for design is obtained.

Die Bildung von kubischem α-MoC 1-x durch Carbonisierung von MoO3 mit Graphit wahrend des Erhitzens im Ar-Plasmabogen wird untersucht.

The formation of tantalum carbide by the carbonization of Ta2O5 with graphite by heating in an argon plasma arc was studied. Chemical and X-ray analyses showed that the product obtained was either stoichiometric or a defect carbide with the formula of TaC1−X. The products were found to be superconductors.

The adsorption of nitrogen-hydrogen molecules formed in the RF discharge on zeolite was studied. The ammonia molecules adsorbed on zeolite as ammonium ions were detected by IR spectroscopy and TPD. The present results obtained show that the ammonia synthesis is facilitated by the surface reactions of the NHx (x=1,2) radicals adsorbed on zeolite with hydrogen atoms.