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In magnetic confinement fusion devices, supersonic molecular beam injection (SMBI) is commonly used as a fueling method, which has also performed well in physical studies since it was first proposed on the HL-1 tokamak by Southwestern Institute of Physics. This study presents the development of the SMBI technique since its first use in fusion experimental devices and reviews the progress on the investigation of plasma physics using the SMBI. In addition, this study further discusses the potential applications of the SMBI technique on future fusion devices.

The characteristics of momentum transport and plasma rotation in the toroidal direction are studied, using near-perpendicular neutral beam injection (PERP-NBI), co tangential and counter (CTR) tangential NBI in JT-60U. Diffusive and non-diffusive terms of momentum transport are evaluated from the transient analysis by using the momentum source modulation. Fast ion losses due to the toroidal field ripple, which locally induces the edge CTR rotation, are used as a novel momentum source. Parameter dependence of these transport coefficients i.e. the toroidal momentum diffusivity (?) and the convection velocity (Vconv), and the relation between momentum and heat diffusivities (?i) are investigated in L-mode plasmas systematically. The toroidal momentum diffusivity increases with increasing heating power and decreases with increasing plasma current. The relation of ? and ?i to some non-dimensional parameters is investigated. A clear dependence of ?/?i on normalized plasma pressure (?N) is observed. It is also found that toroidal rotation velocity profiles in the case with and without external torque input can be almost reproduced by ? and Vconv estimated from the transient momentum transport analysis at low ? (?N < 0.4).

The effects of toroidal rotation and toroidal field (TF) ripple on the edge pedestal structure and edge-localized-modes (ELMs) were examined in JT-60U. The amplitude of the TF ripple was changed by the installation of ferritic steel tiles (FSTs). The profile of toroidal rotation VT became less counter with FSTs, particularly in the case where co-NBI was used in a large volume configuration. In this case, the plasma pressure was raised across the whole profile of the plasma. At the plasma edge, higher pedestal temperature was obtained with the growth of pedestal width. However, the effect of FSTs became less significant in a small volume configuration. As the VT became less counter at the pedestal, ELM frequency fELM was reduced and ELM energy loss ΔWELM was increased at fixed power crossing the separatrix Psep. The observed larger ELM energy drop at VT in a relatively co-direction involves the ELM perturbations of the electron temperature profile across an ELM that extends radially more inward. In addition, the inter-ELM transport loss is reduced and the pedestal pressure pped is weakly raised. The effect of FSTs appeared clearly in the large volume configuration where pped is raised even at a given VT at the pedestal while pped is not changed by FSTs at the small volume configuration. This suggests that the reduction of the TF ripple, the magnitude of which can affect the VT profile, plays a role in the increasing of pped. For increased pped due to the use of co-NBI and the reduction of TF ripple, the spatial width of the pedestal ion temperature became greater.

After installation of ferritic steel tiles, fast ion losses due to toroidal field ripple have been reduced by 1/2–1/3. The increase in absorbed power at same injection power can reduce the required number of neutral beam injector (NBI) units to sustain a given normalized beta, βN, resulting in a better flexibility of torque input by increasing the available combination of tangential NBI units. By making use of these advantages to sustain an internal transport barrier (ITB), the performance of long-pulse ELMy H-mode plasmas was improved in terms of sustained duration time for both high βN and high thermal confinement enhancement factor (HH98(y,2)). High βN > 2.3 together with HH98(y,2) ~ 1 was sustained for 23.1 s (~12τR, where τR is the current diffusion time) at q95 ~ 3.3, which also provide high βNHH98(y,2) ≥ 2.2 and a bootstrap current fraction of ≥40%. βNHH98(y,2) of 2.0 was sustained for 28.6 s, which is limited by the maximum injection period of 30s for NBI system. These long-pulse plasmas are possible candidates for ITER hybrid operation scenario. Improved confinement is characterized by the larger thermal components at a given density maintained by lower heating power than in previous experiments. The strength of the ITB depends on the pedestal temperature, which varies with edge density while keeping constant the edge pressure (limited by type I ELMs). The fact that co-toroidal rotation as a result of reduced fast ion losses provides better quality of Te-ITB also contributes the improvement of thermal plasma confinement. These long-pulse plasmas indicate that further investigation to establish high performance plasmas longer than the time scale of wall saturation (τW) with active particle control is essential to establish the operational scenarios for next step devices, where the wall pumping does not work.

The understanding and predictive capability of transport physics and plasma confinement is reviewed from the perspective of achieving reactor-scale burning plasmas in the ITER tokamak, for both core and edge plasma regions. Very considerable progress has been made in understanding, controlling and predicting tokamak transport across a wide variety of plasma conditions and regimes since the publication of the ITER Physics Basis (IPB) document (1999 Nucl. Fusion 39 2137-2664). Major areas of progress considered here follow. (1) Substantial improvement in the physics content, capability and reliability of transport simulation and modelling codes, leading to much increased theory/experiment interaction as these codes are increasingly used to interpret and predict experiment. (2) Remarkable progress has been made in developing and understanding regimes of improved core confinement. Internal transport barriers and other forms of reduced core transport are now routinely obtained in all the leading tokamak devices worldwide. (3) The importance of controlling the H-mode edge pedestal is now generally recognized. Substantial progress has been made in extending high confinement H-mode operation to the Greenwald density, the demonstration of Type I ELM mitigation and control techniques and systematic explanation of Type I ELM stability. Theory-based predictive capability has also shown progress by integrating the plasma and neutral transport with MHD stability. (4) Transport projections to ITER are now made using three complementary approaches: empirical or global scaling, theory-based transport modelling and dimensionless parameter scaling (previously, empirical scaling was the dominant approach). For the ITER base case or the reference scenario of conventional ELMy H-mode operation, all three techniques predict that ITER will have sufficient confinement to meet its design target of Q = 10 operation, within similar uncertainties.

The driving mechanism of toroidal rotation and the momentum transport are studied on JT-60U in relation to the toroidal rotation in the direction antiparallel to the plasma current, i.e. counter (CTR) direction, with near-perpendicular neutral beam (PERP-NB) injection. Fast ion losses due to the toroidal field ripple induce CTR rotation in the peripheral region, and the magnitude of CTR rotation with PERP-NBs reduces by installing the ferritic steel tiles as a consequence of the reduction in the ripple losses. It is also found that toroidal rotation velocity profiles in the core region can be explained by momentum transport considering diffusivity and convective velocity estimated from transient momentum transport analysis in L-mode plasmas.

Modification for long pulse operation up to 65 s with a neutral beam heating power of 12 MW (30 s) has provided an opportunity for studies on plasma-wall interaction on a time scale of tens of seconds. During a long pulse, ELMy H-mode discharge, the net wall-pumping rate, evaluated by a particle balance analysis, gradually decreases, and subsequently, becomes zero in ~20 s after the neutral beam injection starts. This situation is interpreted as 'wall saturation'. Wall saturation is observed in repetitive long pulse discharges. Although the outgas due to the increase in the divertor plate temperature and increase in the static retention with pulses also contribute to the particle balance, the dynamic retention process dominates the particle balance and determines the wall saturation. Under the condition of wall saturation, the plasma density continuously increases due to insufficient divertor-pumping rate. This density rise results in detachment of the outer divertor plasma, followed by an X-point MARFE. Results from the calculation of a 2-dimensional plasma transport code indicate that higher divertor-pumping efficiency by a factor of 1.5 is required to avoid the detachment. Note that no negative effects on impurity behaviour such as carbon bloom, or significant dilution of the core plasma has been observed even in the case of the total input energy reaching 350 MJ.

Transient transport experiments are performed in plasmas with and without internal transport barriers (ITB) on LHD and JT-60U. The dependence of χe on the electron temperature, Te, and on the electron temperature gradient, ∇Te, is analysed with an empirical non-linear heat transport model. In plasmas without an ITB, two different types of non-linearity of the electron heat transport are observed from cold/heat pulse propagation: the χe depends on Te and ∇Te in JT-60U, while the ∇Te dependence is weak in LHD. Inside the ITB region, there is none or weak ∇Te dependence both in LHD and JT-60U. Growth of the cold pulse driven by the negative Te dependence of χe is observed inside the ITB region (LHD) and near the boundary of the ITB region (JT-60U).

Compatibility of advanced tokamak plasmas with high density and high radiation loss has been investigated in both reversed shear (RS) plasmas and high βp H-mode plasmas with a weak positive shear on JT-60U. In the RS plasmas, the operating regime is extended to high density above the Greenwald density (nGW) with high confinement (HHy2 > 1) and high radiation loss fraction (frad > 0.9) by tailoring the internal transport barriers (ITBs). With a small plasma-wall gap, the radiation loss in the main plasma (inside the magnetic separatrix) reaches 80% of the heating power due to metal impurity accumulation. However, high confinement of HHy2 = 1.2 is sustained even with such a large radiation loss in the main plasma. By neon seeding, the divertor radiation loss is enhanced from 20% to 40% of the total radiation loss. In the high βp H-mode plasmas, high confinement (HHy2 = 0.96) is maintained at high density ( ) with high radiation loss fraction (frad ~ 1) by utilizing high-field-side pellets and argon (Ar) injection. The high is attributed to the formation of strong density ITB. Strong core-edge parameter linkage for confinement improvement is observed, where the pedestal pressure and the core plasma confinement increase together. The measured radiation profile including contributions from all impurities in the main plasma is peaked, and the central radiation is ascribed to the contribution from Ar accumulated inside the ITB. Impurity transport analyses indicate that the Ar density profile, twice as peaked as the electron density profile, which is the same level as that observed in the high βp H-mode plasma, can yield an acceptable radiation profile even with a peaked density profile in a fusion reactor.

The energy loss for grassy edge localized modes (ELMs) has been studied to investigate the applicability of the grassy ELM regime to ITER. The grassy ELM regime is characterized by high frequency periodic collapses of 800–1500 Hz, which is ~15 times faster than that for type I ELMs. The divertor peak heat flux due to grassy ELMs is less than 10% of that for type I ELMs. This smaller heat flux is caused by a narrower radial extent of the collapse of the temperature pedestal. The different radial extent between type I ELMs and grassy ELMs agrees qualitatively with the different radial distribution of the eigenfunctions as determined from ideal MHD stability analysis. The dominant ELM energy loss for grassy ELMs appears to be caused by temperature reduction, and its ratio to the pedestal stored energy was 0.4–1%. This ratio is lower by a factor of about 10 than that for type I ELMs, which typically have between 2–10% fractional loss of the pedestal energy. A systematic study of the effects of counter (CTR) plasma rotation on the ELM characteristics has been performed using a combination of tangential and perpendicular neutral beam injections (NBIs) in JT-60U. In the high plasma triangularity (δ) regime, ELM characteristics (e.g. amplitude, frequency and type) can be changed from type I ELMs to high frequency grassy ELMs as the CTR plasma rotation is increased. On the other hand, in the low δ regime, complete ELM suppression (QH-mode) can be sustained for long periods up to 3.4 s (~18τE or energy confinement times), when the plasma position in terms of the clearance between the first wall and the plasma separatrix is optimized during the application of CTR-NBIs. In JT-60U, a transient QH phase was also observed during the CO-NBI phase with almost no net toroidal rotation at the plasma edge.

This paper reports the results of the progress in stationary discharges with a large bootstrap current fraction in JT-60U towards steady-state tokamak operation. In the weak shear plasma regime, high-βp ELMy H-mode discharges have been optimized under nearly full non-inductive current drive conditions by the large bootstrap current fraction (fBS ~ 45%) and the beam driven current fraction (fBD ~ 50%), which was sustained for 5.8 s in the stationary condition. This duration corresponds to ~26τE and ~2.8τR, which was limited by the pulse length of negative-ion-based neutral beams. The high confinement enhancement factor H89 ~ 2.2 (HH98y2 ~ 1.0) was obtained and the profiles of current and pressure reached the stationary condition. In the reversed shear plasma regime, a large bootstrap current fraction (fBS ~ 75%) has been sustained for 7.4 s under nearly full non-inductive current drive conditions. This duration corresponds to ~16τE and ~2.7τR. The high confinement enhancement factor H89 ~ 3.0 (HH98y2 ~ 1.7) was also sustained, and the profiles of current and pressure reached the stationary condition. The large bootstrap current and the off-axis beam driven current sustained this reversed q profile. This duration was limited only by the duration of the neutral beam injection.

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. BY-2) cell lines tolerant to 700 μM Ni in which unselected cells can not grow, were selected. The Ni-tolerant cells were also more tolerant to Co, but not to Cd than unselected cells. Ni concentrations in Ni-tolerant cells were always higher than those in medium. Since buthionine sulfoximine did not affect their Ni-tolerance, it is suggested that phytochelatins are not involved in Ni-tolerance of Ni-tolerant cells. On the other hand, histidine contents in Ni-tolerant and unselected cells, which were treated with Ni, were higher that those treated without Ni, and the degree of the elevation of histidine contents by Ni-treatment was higher in Ni-tolerant cells than in unselected cells. Additionally, exogenous histidine reduced the inhibitory effect of Ni on the growth of unselected cells. In addition, the cells that were tolerant to histidine-analogue, had higher contents of histidine and Ni-tolerance. These results suggest that histidine is involved in Ni-tolerance and the detoxification of Ni in symplast in Ni-tolerant cells.

Pierre Robin sequence is characterized by micro-gnathia, glossoptosis, feeding difficulties, and upper respiratory obstruction, which are frequently complicated by bronchial aspiration and pulmonary infection. Gastroesophageal reflux is also common in these patients. To assess the results of mandibular distraction, a study was performed in 18 patients to detect swallowing disorders associated with apnea episodes and gastroesophageal reflux. Polysomnography, barium pharyngoscopy, determination of blood gases, and esophageal pH measurements were undertaken before and 4 months after distraction osteogenesis. Bilateral corticotomies, followed by distraction with external devices, were performed, achieving 7 to 19 mm of elongation (mean = 12 mm). Gastroesophageal reflux was found in 83% of cases associated with apnea episodes, but it disappeared after distraction osteogenesis. Mean preoperative oxygen saturation was 72%, and it was 93% afterward. The preoperative apnea index was 18.3, and the preoperative 8.5 hypopnea index was 8.5; both disappeared. Pharyngeal transit time became less than 1 second after treatment. Abnormal tongue movements and barium stasis in the pharyngeal recess and in the trachea were eliminated in all the patients.

The dependence of the thermal diffusivity on the heat flux has been investigated in JT-60U plasmas by varying the neutral beam power. In positive magnetic shear (PS) plasmas, the ion thermal diffusivity (χi) in the core region generally increases with the heating power, as with the L mode at low heating powers. However, as a result of the intensive central heating, a weak internal transport barrier (ITB) is formed, and the χi value in the core region starts to decrease. Corresponding to a further increase in the heating power, a strong ITB is formed and the χi value is reduced substantially. In the case of reversed magnetic shear (RS) plasmas, on the other hand, no power degradation of the χi value is observed in any of the heating regimes. The electron thermal diffusivity (χe) is correlated with the χi value in PS and RS plasmas. Furthermore, the dependence of the ion thermal diffusivity on the radial electric field (Er) shear has also been investigated. By considering the non-locality in the relation between the Er shear and the χi value, a threshold in the effective Er shear to change the state from a weak to a strong ITB is identified.

Results of coherent edge fluctuation measurements using three diagnostics (a reciprocating Langmuir probe, a two channel O-mode reflectometer, and fast magnetic probes) in H-mode discharges on JFT-2M are presented. In discharges in which a high recycling steady (HRS) H-mode phase is obtained through a transient phase with slightly enhanced Dα intensity, two types of coherent fluctuations are observed. The higher frequency mode (around 300 kHz) is the high frequency mode (HFM) observed in the HRS H-mode (Kamiya K et al 2003 9th IAEA Tech. Meeting H-mode Workshop Topic B-14). The lower frequency mode has a frequency of around 80 kHz. The HFM is detected by a Langmuir probe over a wide region in the SOL, as well as by the reflectometer and magnetic probes. However, the HFM is not detected by the higher frequency (38 GHz) channel of the reflectometer after the HRS transition, suggesting that the HFM is not located deeply inside the plasma. The 80 kHz mode is detected by both channels of the reflectometer and by a Langmuir probe, but not by magnetic probes, suggesting that it is an electrostatic mode. In contrast to the HFM, the 80 kHz mode is detected by the Langmuir probe only near the separatrix during the transient phase, which leads to either the HRS phase or the ELMy phase, and is similar to the fluctuations reported in Shinohara K et al (1998 J. Plasma Fusion Res. 74 607).

Simultaneous fast ELM measurements using a reflectometer, interferometers, Dα intensity and a magnetic probe reveal the detailed characteristics of type I ELMs. From the phase signal of the reflectometer indicating the radial movement of the cut-off layer, four different phases in the ELM event, i.e. a precursor phase, collapse phase, recovery phase and a relaxation phase, were observed. In the collapse phase, the radial extent of the collapse of the density pedestal reached up to twice the pedestal width. A fast drop of the horizontal interferometer signal was observed, while the vertical interferometer on the high-field side edge plasma only exhibited a small and delayed reduction. These features of the plasma response due to ELMs might indicate a non-uniform collapse of the density pedestal in the poloidal direction, localized near the low-field side (LFS) midplane. Expelled particles from the LFS midplane were measured by using scrape-off layer Mach probes, and the heat flux to the divertor target was measured using a fast infrared TV camera. The time constant of the peak heat load was comparable to that of the enhancement of the plasma flow towards the divertor target. The normalized ELM energy loss by pedestal stored energy in JT-60U was found to be less than 10% of the pedestal stored energy. It shows weak dependence on the pedestal parameters such as electron collisionality, parallel ion loss time and the ratio of the pedestal density to the Greenwald density limit.

Advanced tokamak regimes obtained in ASDEX Upgrade, DIII-D, FT-U, JET, JT-60U, TCV and Tore Supra experiments are assessed both in terms of their fusion performance and capability for ultimately reaching steady-state using data from the international internal transport barrier database. These advanced modes of tokamak operation are characterized by an improved core confinement and a modified current profile compared to the relaxed Ohmically driven one. The present results obtained in these experiments are studied in view of their prospect for achieving either long pulses ('hybrid' scenario with inductive and non-inductive current drive) or ultimately steady-state purely non-inductive current drive operation in next step devices such as ITER. A new operational diagram for advanced tokamak operation is proposed where the figure of merit characterizing the fusion performances and confinement, H × βN / q 295, is drawn versus the fraction of the plasma current driven by the bootstrap effect. In this diagram, present day advanced tokamak regimes have now reached an operational domain that is required in the non-inductive ITER current drive operation with typically 50% of the plasma current driven by the bootstrap effect (Green et al 2003 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 45 587). In addition, the existence domain of the advanced mode regimes is also mapped in terms of dimensionless plasmas physics quantities such as normalized Larmor radius, normalized collisionality, Mach number and ratio of ion to electron temperature. The gap between present day and future advanced tokamak experiments is quantitatively assessed in terms of these dimensionless parameters.

The influence of dominant electron heating on internal transport barriers (ITBs) was investigated in JT-60U. The electron cyclotron waves were mainly utilized in order to extend the experimental space into a dominant electron heating regime. The experiments were carried out on both reversed magnetic shear (RS) and positive magnetic shear (PS) plasmas. It was found that in RS plasmas clear ITBs in Te, Ti and ne profiles remained even under dominant electron heating. Energy confinement in excess of twice the H-mode scaling has been obtained in the regime. On the other hand, it was found that in PS plasmas the Ti ITB was degraded by dominant electron heating.

This paper reports results on the progress in steady-state high-βp ELMy H-mode discharges in JT-60U. A fusion triple product, nD(0)τETi(0), of 3.1 × 1020 m−3 s keV under full non-inductive current drive has been achieved at Ip = 1.8 MA, which extends the record value of the fusion triple product under full non-inductive current drive by 50%. A high-beta plasma with βN ~ 2.7 has been sustained for 7.4 s (~60τE), with the duration determined only by the facility limits, such as the capability of the poloidal field coils and the upper limit on the duration of injection of neutral beams. Destabilization of neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs) has been avoided with good reproducibility by tailoring the current and pressure profiles. On the other hand, a real-time NTM stabilization system has been developed where detection of the centre of the magnetic island and optimization of the injection angle of the electron cyclotron wave are done in real time. By applying this system, a 3/2 NTM has been completely stabilized in a high-beta region (βp ~ 1.2, βN ~ 1.5), and the beta value and confinement enhancement factor have been improved by the stabilization.

The relationship between particle and heat transport in an internal transport barrier (ITB) has been systematically investigated in reversed shear (RS) and high βp mode plasmas of JT-60U. The electron effective diffusivity is well correlated with the ion thermal diffusivity in the ITB region. The ratio of particle flux to electron heat flux, calculated on the basis of the linear stability analysis, shows a similar tendency to an experiment in the RS plasma with a strong ITB. However, the calculated ratio of ion anomalous heat flux to electron heat flux is smaller than the experiment in the ITB region. Helium and carbon are not accumulated inside the ITB even with ion heat transport close to a neoclassical level, but argon is accumulated. The helium diffusivity (DHe) and the ion thermal diffusivity (χi) are 5–15 times higher than the neoclassical level in the high βp mode plasma. In the RS plasma, DHe is reduced from 6–7 times to a 1.4–2 times higher level than the neoclassical level when χi is reduced from 7–18 times to a 1.2–2.6 times higher level than the neoclassical level. The carbon and argon diffusivities estimated assuming the neoclassical inward convection velocity are 4–5 times larger than the neoclassical value, even when χi is close to the neoclassical level. Argon exhaust from the inside of the ITB is demonstrated by applying electron cyclotron heating (ECH) in the high βp mode plasma, where both electron and argon density profiles become flatter. The flattening of the argon density profile is consistent with the reduction of the neoclassical inward convection velocity due to the reduction of the bulk plasma density gradient. In the RS plasma, the density gradient is not decreased by ECH and argon is not exhausted. These results suggest the importance of density gradient control in suppressing impurity accumulation.

A substantial reduction of the L-H transition threshold power was observed under the W-shaped divertor in JT-60U, in comparison with the open divertor. Radiation power in the main region was also decreased in this case. These differences of radiation power from the main plasma between open and W-shaped divertor were not large enough to account for the apparent reduction of threshold power. In this paper, the emphasis is on the edge plasma parameters which relate to the L-H transition. It was found that edge plasma pressure just before the L-H transition in the W-shaped divertor case became smaller than that in the open divertor case. After the modification of divertor geometry, edge ion collisionality just before the L-H transition also became lower and it was established with lower auxiliary power input. It was suggested that reduction of edge ion collisionality arose from neutral particles near the X-point by the analysis of poloidal profile of neutral density. Therefore, neutral particles near the X-point prevented the threshold power for the L-H transition from more reduction at low plasma density, and caused the shift of plasma density which gave minimum threshold power.

Driving is a demanding task which requires constant concentration and appropriate maneuvers of a vehicle on the road. The introduction of in-vehicle navigation and route guidance system should be carried out with utmost care because of the abundant information that can be provided to a driver. In order to increase the acceptance level and lower the negative safety impacts of in-vehicle navigation systems, the psychological consideration and study of model of driver behavior is crucial. The focus of this article is on the design of a route selection function for an in-vehicle navigation system. The issue of route selection criteria and decision-making by drivers is discussed and an adaptive route selection algorithm presented. The objective is to develop a system function which can act as a driver's assistant and helps in the evaluation of alternate routes. Such a system can help to filter and interpret information to lessen stress on drivers. In this article, the philosophical consideration of drivers' route selection is discussed. The concept of primary attributes is introduced. Also, a review of route selection studies, together with the results from three previous surveys, are presented.

We examined the effects of simultaneous treatments with Cd and Ni on the phytochelatin (PC) biosynthesis in suspension-cultured tobacco (Nicotiana tobacum cv. Bright Yellow-2) cells. The induction of PC biosynthesis in response to Cd was not affected by the coexistence of Ni. Cd and Ni formed complexes with different compounds in cells.

A millimeter-wave interferometer having a capability of concomitant electron temperature measurement, based on the electron cyclotron absorption (ECA) technique, has been developed for divertor diagnostics in JT-60U. Three lines of sight, which pass through the X point horizontally, the inboard divertor and the outboard divertor, are chosen. Two transmitter/receiver units with frequencies of 217 and 183 GHz are employed in order to eliminate the spurious vibration effect using a two color scheme. The two independent units are also arranged to enable two sight line measurements without the vibration compensation. Furthermore, these units allow us to apply the simultaneous ECA diagnostic. Due to the complexity of the transmission line inside the tokamak, the insertion loss is as large as 65 dB. However, the interferometer system can be operated with the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of about 20 dB due to the low equivalent input noise of −90 dB m. The measurements performed for several types of the JT-60U discharges indicate the feasibility of the system and the rapid reduction of the electron density near the X point at the high confinement mode transition is first demonstrated.

For measurements of spatial distributions of hydrogen atoms around the divertor region, laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) based on various two-phonon excitation schemes from the ground level is discussed, and merits and demerits under different experimental conditions are compared. Excitation to the n =3 level using an ArF excimer laser (wavelength = 193 nm) and its Raman shifts in deuterium gas (205 and 219 nm) and observation at Balmer alpha transition (656 nm) was found to be the best for the above purpose. A design study of the fluorescence observation and estimation of expected signal to noise (SN) ratios were performed for measurements of atomic hydrogen densities on plasmas around the JFT-2M tokamak divertor, showing that such a measurement is possible.

Local atomic hydrogen densities inside plasmas of the Compact Helical System (CHS) were measured using laser induced fluorescence tuned to Hα, and the results were compared with those calculated using a neutral particle simulation code, in order to determine the penetration energy of hydrogen atoms from the chamber wall into the plasma. The results of these and supplementary measurements of Hα emission intensities using CCD cameras and photomultipliers at various toroidal positions yielded local atomic hydrogen density distributions throughout the whole plasma. The distribution of the particle source rate was evaluated from the atomic hydrogen distribution, and then the radial particle flux profile was obtained from a particle continuity equation. Estimated errors for the latter were ±30% at an absolute level and several per cent in the profile shape. The radial particle flux thus obtained is valuable for evaluations of particle diffusion coefficient and convection velocity

We determined the characteristics of phytochelatin synthase from tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv. Bright Yellow-2) cells, especially the conditions for the enzyme stability. From the results, we proposed the optimum assay conditions of the enzyme activity.

In order to set up a data base and diagnostic capability for understanding atomic hydrogen behaviour in pumped divertor plasmas, an experiment and a feasibility study using a novel laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) technique were performed. For the former, combined measurements of LIF tuned to Hα and emission intensities at Hα/Hβ were carried out on the compact helical system (CHS). The comparison of the measured data and a particle simulation code revealed atomic hydrogen behaviour quantitatively, providing a full estimate of toroidally and poloidally asymmetric distributions of hydrogen atoms. In order to supplement the data base around the pumped divertor region, the applicability of an LIF technique which uses two-photon excitation from the ground state was examined, based on the real optical constraints of the envisaged JET pumped divertor. It was concluded that it is feasible and the only remaining problem is not a serious one.

The physical processes producing electron particle transport in the core of tokamak plasmas are described. Starting from the gyrokinetic equation, a simple analytical derivation is used as guidance to illustrate the main mechanisms driving turbulent particle convection. A review of the experimental observations on particle transport in tokamaks is presented and the consistency with the theoretical predictions is discussed. An overall qualitative agreement, and in some cases even a specific quantitative agreement, emerges between complex theoretical predictions and equally complex experimental observations, exhibiting different dependences on plasma parameters under different regimes. By these results, the direct connection between macroscopic transport properties and the character of microscopic turbulence is pointed out, and an important confirmation of the paradigm of microinstabilities and turbulence as the main cause of transport in the core of tokamaks is obtained. Finally, the impact of these results on the prediction of the peaking of the electron density profile in a fusion reactor is illustrated.

An encoder IC has been developed for color video cameras. This IC includes many additional functions and its frequency bandwidth is sufficient. It is useful for achieving higher-quality pictures in S-VHS and Hi-8 format camcorders. This IC has been tested on color video cameras and its performance was verified. >

A spontaneous transition phenomena between two states of a plasma with an internal transport barrier (ITB) is observed in the steady-state phase of the magnetic shear in the negative magnetic shear plasma in the JT-60U tokamak. These two ITB states are characterized by different profiles of the second radial derivative of the ion temperature inside the ITB region (one has a weak concave shape and the other has a strong convex shape) and by different degrees of sharpness of the interfaces between the L mode and the ITB region, which is determined by the turbulence penetration into the ITB region.

This paper proposes a lane recognition algorithm which is able to find lane markers regardless of their types such as white lines, raised pavement markers, etc. The algorithm utilizes the characteristics that the lane markers converge to the focus of expansion and the lane markers have edge points towards the focus of expansion. Many edge points toward the focus of expansion are located on the lane boundaries where the lane markers exist. Hence, the algorithm uses only the edge points whose direction is towards the focus of expansion. Each edge direction is computed by only near-neighbor elements rather than continuous line segments in order to detect lane markers even if their shapes are not continuous lines. In the case of the raised pavement markers, experimental results show that the average processing time is under 100 ms and the recognition rate is over 96%.

We developed a cut-in vehicle recognition system which uses image processing to cover the blind spot of the radar in the adaptive cruise control system. The developed recognition algorithm consists of two parts: the vehicle detection part and the vehicle tracking part. In the vehicle detection part, we used the density histogram of a differential image and pattern matching with a vehicle feature to decrease detection errors. In the vehicle tracking part, we renewed the pattern of a detected vehicle in proportion to vehicle size change. We evaluated the developed cut-in vehicle recognition algorithm and obtained a processing time of 52 ms and recognition rate of 92%.

One functionality of an in-vehicle navigation system is route planning. Given a set of origin-destination (O/D) pairs, there could be many possible routes for a driver. A useful routing system should have the capability to support the driver effectively in deciding on an optimum route to his preference. The objective of this work is to model the driver behavior in the area of route selection. In particular, the research focuses on an optimum route search function in a typical in-car navigation system or dynamic route guidance (DRG) system. In this work, we want to emphasize the need to orientate the route selection method on the driver's preference. Each feasible route has a set of attributes. A fuzzy-neural (FN) approach is used to represent the correlation of the attributes with the driver's route selection. A recommendation or route ranking can be provided to the driver. Based on a training of the FN net on the driver's choice, the route selection function can be made adaptive to the decision making of the driver.

Driving is a demanding task, which requires constant concentration and appropriate maneuvers of a vehicle on the road. The introduction of in-vehicle navigation and route guidance system should be carried out with utmost care because of the abundant information that can be provided to a driver. In order to increase the acceptance level and lower the negative safety impacts of in-vehicle navigation, the psychological consideration and study of a model of driver behaviour is crucial. The focus of this paper is on the human factor consideration in the design of a route selection function for an in-vehicle navigation system. The issue on route selection criterion, decision-making as well as user-interface is discussed. The objective is to develop a system function which can act as a driver's assistant and helps in the evaluation of alternate routes. Such a system can help to filter and interpret information to lessen the stress of drivers. In this paper, the philosophical consideration of drivers' route selection is discussed. Also, a review of route selection studies is presented. The concept of primary attributes is also introduced and the issue on the user-interface is discussed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of nitrogenous fertilizer application and the difference of environment between Japan and Indonesia on sugar accumulation by sweet sorghum c.v. Wray.

At de National Institute of Pediatrics in Mexico City, the ultrasonographic findings of hepatoblastomas were analyzed in order to establish the echographic pattern of this malignant liver tumor. The ultrasonic images of patient's livers dating back six years were retrospectively reviewed. The hyperrecognisance of the hepatoblastoma as a solid, poorly limited mass, with or without the presence of calcifications, with the displacement of the portal vein and frequently found in the right lobe, were considered as the most relevant echographic characteristics of the hepatoblastoma. The echographic characteristics found of the hepatoblastoma can aid in the sonographic diagnosis of the disease. The leukemic liver infiltrations, the primary liver lymphoma and the metastasis, due to their hyperrecognisance, can be confused with the diagnosis of hepatoblastoma.

It is proved that a three-layered neural network for pattern recognition can be synthesized if a pattern is separated by hyperplanes into a single region, and, if not, a four-layered neural network is synthesized. Then, it is shown that an n-input parity circuit is synthesized by a three-layered neural network with n hidden neurons. Finally, it is demonstrated how the recognition rate is improved by tuning the weights of the network generated by the backpropagation algorithm. As examples, a parity circuit was synthesized by a three-layered neural network and, for number recognition, the recognition rate was drastically improved by tuning the weights of the network. >

Effects of trimebutine maleate (TM-906) on the spontaneous contraction of isolated guinea pig colon were investigated. TM-906 in the concentrations of 10(-6) g/ml and 10(-5) g/ml increased the tone without affecting the amplitude of the spontaneous contraction in the preparations with low tone, whereas it decreased the tone and the amplitude of the spontaneous contraction in the preparations with high tone. At the higher concentration (10(-4) g/ml). TM-906 decreased the tone and finally abolished the spontaneous contraction in any preparation. The increase in tone induced by TM-906 was prevented by diltiazem and exposure to Ca++-free solution, but not by tetrodotoxin, atropine, phentolamine or propranolol, and depended on the extracellular concentration of CaCl2. On the other hand, the decrease in tone and amplitude of the spontaneous contraction produced by TM-906 were not prevented by tetrodotoxin, phentolamine or propranolol. TM-906 further increased the tone increased by 10 mM KCl, while it decreased the tone increased by 30 mM KCl. From results described above, it is suggested that TM-906 possesses both a relaxing effect and an excitatory effect which seem to be due to its direct action on the smooth muscle.

Effects of trimebutine maleate (TM-906) on the spontaneous contraction were investigated in the isolated circular smooth muscle of the antrum region of the guinea pig stomach. TM-906 dose-dependently reduced the amplitude of the regular spontaneous contraction without any marked change in its frequency and basal tension. This effect of TM-906 was also observed in the presence of phentolamine, propranolol, atropine, and tetrodotoxin. However, the inhibitory effect of TM-906 was overcome by increasing the extracellular concentration of CaCl2. On the other hand, in preparations which exhibited irregular spontaneous contraction, TM-906 regularized it, and spontaneous contraction with regular frequency and amplitude was elicited. In addition, this regularizing effect of TM-906 was also observed in the presence of atropine and tetrodotoxin. It was concluded that TM-906 has dual effects on the spontaneous contraction, reducing the amplitude of regular contraction and regularizing the irregular contraction. These effects of TM-906 may be attributed to the direct action on the smooth muscle.

Bronchodilating action of l-MTI was investigated by intravenous administration to anesthetized animals and the results were compared to those seen with isoproterenol. Bronchoconstriction was induced by histamine or serotonin. Under pentobarbital anesthesia, the bronchodilating activity of l-MTI was approx. 1/20 that of isoproterenol in cats and dogs, but less than 1/100 that of isoproterenol in monkeys and guinea pigs. The results indicate that the bronchodilating activity of l-MTI is variable and species dependent. It was demonstrated, however, that in guinea pigs, l-MTI did not produce any bronchodilating activity, when the animals were anesthetized with urethane. The absence of the bronchodilating response in animals under this anesthesia was also seen in vagotomized, adrenalectomized and reserpinized, norepinephrine-infused guinea pigs. On the contrary, l-MTI exhibited the bronchodilating action in reserpinized, pithed or hexamethonium-treated guinea pigs anesthetized with urethane. On th other hand, isoproterenol produced a bronchodilating action in all preparations mentioned above. It was also evident that l-MTI suppressed the bronchodilating action of isoproterenol in pentobarbital anesthetized guinea pigs. In addition, l-MTI increased the heart rate of guinea pigs with a low beating rate, but decreased it when the control rate was high. These results suggest that at least in guinea pigs, l-MTI acts as a partial agonist and that the effect of l-MTI on the bronchial system depends on the sympathetic tone and/or sympathetic bronchodilator reflex, as proposed by McCULLOCH ET AL. (9).

A case of 53-year-old female with multiple sclerosis was reported. In August 1987, she suffered from weakness in her legs and urinary retention. These signs had progressed with incomplete remissions and exacerbations. In March 1988, she developed sensory loss of all modalities below C2 level, spastic paralysis of upper extremities and flaccid paraplegia of lower extremities. Electromyography showed evidence of denervation in affected muscles of all extremities and paraspinal muscles. On lumber puncture, spinal fluid pressure fell to 0 mmH2O after removal of the spinal fluid of 12 ml, and the CSF protein was 740 mg/dl, indicating subarachnoid space block. The oligoclonal band was positive. MRI showed swelling in the cervical and upper thoracic cord, and multiple lesions in the periventricular white matter in the cerebrum. We diagnosed this case as multiple sclerosis in combination with acute polyradiculitis. The spinal subarachnoid block was considered to be caused by the swelling of the spinal cord.

Effects of timepidium bromide (TB), hyoscine-N-butylbromide (HB) and atropine (Atr) were studied on the isolated guinea pig gallbladder and sphincter of Oddi. In the isolated gallbladder, the contraction induced by methacholine was competitively antagonized with TB, HB and Atr: pA2 values for TB, HB and Atr were 8.44, 7.55 and 9.11, respectively. Contraction of gallbladder after field stimulation at 5 Hz was also inhibited by TB, HB and Atr as well as by tetrodotoxin (TTX). On the other hand, TB had no significant influence on the electrically evoked (30 Hz) contraction which remained after treatment with TTX. It was estimated that the inhibitory activity of TB on the contraction of gallbladder was 1/5-1/6 that of Atr and 7 times as potent as HB. In the isolated sphincter of Oddi, TB, HB and Atr reduced the perfusion pressure increased by acetylcholine (ACh), the activity of TB being 1/4 that of Atr and 3 times of HB. The contractile responses to field stimulation (5 Hz) were also inhibited by TB, HB and Atr. The inhibitory activity of TB was 1/5 that of Atr and 12 times of HB. It was also demonstrated that TB produced no significant effect on the noradrenaline (Nor)-induced contraction and isoproterenol (Iso)-induced relaxation in the gallbladder or Nor-induced increase of the perfusion pressure in the sphincter of Oddi. It is suggested that TB acts on the gallbladder and sphincter of Oddi by virtue of its anticholinergic activity.