Effect of irradiation hardening on brittle fracture performance of box-shaped blanket fabricated by F-82H

Fusion reactor blankets designed for DEMO are based on a water cooled ceramic breeder. The unstable fracture of the box-shaped blanket would occur by the superimposition of three factors as follows: (1) it is the reduction of fracture toughness for structural materials, such as F-82H, caused by the significant irradiation hardening, (2) it is the formation of cracks which act as the initiation point of the fracture, and (3) it is the excessive tensile load caused by the inner pressure to In-Box loss of coolant accident (LOCA). In the present study, application of Weibull stress criterion to fracture assessment is to investigate the effect of irradiation hardening on the brittle fracture performance of box-shaped blanket fabricated by F-82H. Both structural analysis of the box-shaped blanket simulating In-Box LOCA and deformation behavior analysis of irradiated toughness specimens were conducted by elastic-plastic finite element analysis (FEA). Weibull stress values calculated from FEA of irradiated toughness specimens were higher than those from FEA of irradiated structural components. It, therefore, is considered that the irradiation hardening of structural materials would not promote the brittle fracture at the corner of rectangular coolant tubes of the blankets caused by the load of In-Box LOCA

Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) Operation Summary

The Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) is a joint U.S. and Japan mission to observe tropical rainfall, which was launched by H-II No. 6 from Tanegashima in Japan at 6:27 JST on November 28, 1997. After the two-month commissioning of TRMM satellite and instruments, the original nominal mission lifetime was three years. In fact, the operations has continued for approximately 17.5 years. This paper provides a summary of the long term operations of TRMM

False-negative coagulation factor activity results due to the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies in a case of autoimmune hemolytic anemia

An 88-year-old female was admitted with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA). Coagulation test revealed severe prolongation of activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). APTT cross-mixing test with patient plasma and normal plasma demonstrated an inhibitory pattern. Several intrinsic coagulation factor activities, particularly factor IX, showed remarkable decreases, and the inhibitor titers for coagulation factors VIII and IX were elevated. Although AIHA with existing antiphospholipid (aPL) antibodies was diagnosed initially, purpura developed on extremities intermittently during the clinical course. Considering the possibility of coexisting acquired hemophilia, APTT cross-mixing test with patient’s plasma and equal amount of the recombinant factor VIII product instead of normal plasma was performed. The APTT value on equal mixing samples with patient plasma and recombinant factor VIII product was decreased to within the normal range, and coagulation factor IX activity was restored. These results indicate that the recombinant factor VIII product had a neutralizing effect on aPL antibodies. We concluded that recombinant factor VIII product may lead to the repair of incorrect results from the APTT-dependent diagnostic system in the presence of aPL antibodies

Urinary Level of Liver-Type Fatty Acid Binding Protein Reflects the Degree of Tubulointerstitial Damage in Polycystic Kidney Disease

Background/Aims: Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a common, progressive, and heritable type of kidney disease. Although certain imaging modalities are useful for the diagnosis and staging of PKD, they cannot adequately monitor the severity of interstitial inflammation and fibrosis. Therefore, the present study evaluated the urinary level of liver-type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) as a marker of interstitial inflammation and fibrosis in PKD. Methods: Male PCK/CrljCrl-Pkhd1pck/Crl (PCK) rats (n = 34) were used as an animal model of the PKD. Age-and sex-matched Sprague–Dawley rats (SD) (n = 34) were used as controls. Urine samples were obtained from the rats at 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 weeks of age, and the sera and kidney tissues were obtained at 8, 16, 20, and 24 weeks of age. Results: All PCK rats developed cysts, and the degrees of tubular epithelial cell proliferation and interstitial inflammation increased linearly with age in these model rats relative to the controls. Interstitial fibrosis tended to increase in the PCK rats from 8 to 20 weeks of age, and revealed a peak level at 20 weeks. The urinary L-FABP levels increased linearly with age in the PCK rats, and the levels at 12, 16, 20, and 24 weeks were significantly higher than those in the controls. The urinary levels of L-FABP in the PCK rats correlated significantly with the severity of tubulointerstitial damage; specifically, we observed a significant correlation of the urinary levels at 16 weeks of age with the total kidney volume at 20 weeks. In contrast, both PCK and SD rats exhibited similar serum levels of L-FABP. Conclusion: Urinary L-FABP reflects the progression of tubulointerstitial damage, and therefore, may be a useful marker for monitoring the progression of PKD

Severity and Progression Rate of Cerebellar Ataxia in 16q-linked Autosomal Dominant Cerebellar Ataxia (16q-ADCA) in the Endemic Nagano Area of Japan

16q22.1-linked autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia (16q-ADCA) is a recently defined subtype of ADCA identified by a disease-specific C/T substitution in the 5' untranslated region of the puratrophin-1 gene. In Nagano, the central mountainous district of the main island of Japan, 16q-ADCA and spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6) are the most and second most prevalent subtypes of ADCA, respectively. Both subtypes are classified into Harding's ADCA III, but little attention has been given to the differences in the severity and progression rate of cerebellar ataxia between 16q-ADCA and SCA6. We investigated the clinical severity and progression rate of cerebellar ataxia of 16q-ADCA patients using international cooperative ataxia rating scale and scale for the assessment and rating of ataxia and compared them with those of SCA6 patients. The age at onset was much higher in 16q-ADCA patients (60.1 +/- 9.8 years, n = 66) than in SCA6 patients (41.1 +/- 8.7 years, n = 35). Clinical features of 16q-ADCA were basically consistent with pure cerebellar ataxia, as well as in SCA6, but gaze-evoked nystagmus was observed less frequently in 16q-ADCA patients than in SCA6 patients. When compared at almost the same disease duration after onset, the severity of cerebellar ataxia was a little higher, and the progression rate seemed more rapid in 16q-ADCA patients than in SCA6 patients, but the differences were not significant.ArticleCEREBELLUM. 8(1):46-51 (2009)journal articl

Concentrations and size distributions of black carbon in the surface snow of Eastern Antarctica in 2011

The Tenth Symposium on Polar Science/Ordinary sessions: [OM] Polar Meteorology and Glaciology, Thu. 5 Dec. / 2F Auditorium , National Institute of Polar Researc

Thermodynamic quantities of surface formation of aqueous electrolyte solutions IX. Aqueous solutions of ammonium salts.

The properties of aqueous ammonium salt solutions at the air/water surface are presented. By comparison of the properties of ammonium halides solutions with those of sodium halide, we note a close similarity, which indicates that the increments in surface tension may be explained in relation to the hydration enthalpy of anions. We find that the behaviors of the salts with nitrate anions which are polyatomic are also explained by hydration enthalpy in the same way. On the other hand, salts with ammonium cations which are polyatomic show deviation from a monotonous relationship between the surface tension increments and the hydration enthalpies observed for alkali metal halides. These results can be explained by ion pair formation in the surface region