Phase stability of long-period stacking structures in Mg-Y-Zn: A first-principles study

The phase stability of the long periodic structures in Mg has been investigated at finite temperature by means of first-principles calculations. Free-energy calculation, including the lattice vibration effect, clearly reveals that 14H and 18R type long periodic structures become more stable than 2H-Mg. Furthermore, the stacking fault energies from a structure of ABA (hcp) to ABC (fcc) were calculated for the isotropic lattice variation. We found that the stacking fault energy decreased by lattice expansion and went to nearly zero upon 10% expansion of the lattice. These two calculated results provide important information about the formation of long periodic stacking “ordered” (LPSO) structures in a Mg-Y-Zn system. It has been suggested that the substituted large atoms and temperature effect cooperatively generate a metastable long periodic stacking faults structure that precede LPSO formation

Effect of Shear Deflection on Bending Properties of Compressed Wood

We investigated the bending properties of compressed Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don). The specimens were compressed in the radial direction under 180°C for 5 h. Compression ratios (the ratio of deformation to the initial thickness) were 33% and 67%. Young's modulus was measured by flexural vibration test and static bending test. As a result, the Young's modulus obtained by loading in the radial (R) and tangential (T) directions approached the value without shear influence as the length-to-depth ratio and the span-to-depth ratio increased. In the same compression ratio, the Young's modulus was closer to the value without shear influence in loading in the T-direction than in the R-direction. This is because the Young's modulus to shear modulus ratio of the tangential section was smaller than that of the radial section. In the static bending test, the Young's modulus at the span-to-depth ratio of 14 used in major standards was not appropriate

Feasibility studies on future phycological research in polar regions

Cyanobacteria and algal communities are essential in the process of initial primary succession following landscape deglaciation. Near the glacial front, a shallow wetland zone is maintained by melting ice. Here, algal mats and crusts quickly develop. The ground in all of these wet habitats is cold due to the close presence of the glacial front and permafrost. Cyanobacteria and algal populations which survive and expand in such extreme cold and unstable environments display special ecological and physiological acclimatization-adaptation characteristics, which enable them to succeed during the initial colonization phase. In this text, it is proposed to use these young microbial ecosystems as feasibility studies for developing the necessary methodology to assess the algal response to climate change. Cyanobacteria and algal communities are the most appropriate model microorganisms for such study because of their global universality, environmental sensitivity, fast reproductive potential and relatively easy experimental manipulation. We propose the microbial studies on three different mutually complementary levels : ・Study of diversity, structure and life strategies of Cyanobacteria and algae participating in the initiation of primary succession. ・Study of primary production, nitrogen fixation and nutrient utilization in natural and nutritionally-manipulated experimental set-ups. ・Study of physiological response of Cyanobacteria and algae to temperature change. The processes of primary succession have been widely studied by Japanese, as well as Czech, scientists in polar regions during recent times. In this paper, we review phycological studies which have been carried out in the Antarctic and the Arctic, and sounded on feasibility studies in this field

Experimental ordinary language philosophy: a cross-linguistic study of defeasible default inferences

This paper provides new tools for philosophical argument analysis and fresh empirical foundations for ‘critical’ ordinary language philosophy. Language comprehension routinely involves stereotypical inferences with contextual defeaters. J.L. Austin’s Sense and Sensibilia first mooted the idea that contextually inappropriate stereotypical inferences from verbal case-descriptions drive some philosophical paradoxes; these engender philosophical problems that can be resolved by exposing the underlying fallacies. We build on psycholinguistic research on salience effects to explain when and why even perfectly competent speakers cannot help making stereotypical inferences which are contextually inappropriate. We analyse a classical paradox about perception (‘argument from illusion’), suggest it relies on contextually inappropriate stereotypical inferences from appearance-verbs, and show that the conditions we identified as leading to contextually inappropriate stereotypical inferences are met in formulations of the paradox. Three experiments use a forced-choice plausibility-ranking task to document the predicted inappropriate inferences, in English, German, and Japanese. The cross-linguistic study allows us to assess the wider relevance of the proposed analysis. Our findings open up new perspectives for ‘evidential’ experimental philosophy

好塩基球からのヒスタミン遊離に関する研究. 1 自動分析装置による全血からのヒスタミン遊離の測定

Histamine released from whole blood was determined by an automated fiuorometric histamine analysis system. The increased release of histamine from basophils by anti-IgE was observed in ten healthy subjects and 12 extrinsic asthma patients, while the release in 11 intrinsic asthma patients was significantly less as compared to that in healthy and extrinsic asthma subjects. House dust extract caused a significant increase in the histamine release from basophils of the extrinsic asthma patients who are sensitive to house dust. It was concluded from this study that histamine released from basophils could be easily determined by an automated analysis system and that the method is useful for the diagnosis and study of allergy.ヒスタミン自動分析装置により,健康人10名,気管支喘息23例の全血からのヒスタミン遊離を測定した. 抗ヒトIgEを添加した際のヒスタミン遊離は,健康人および外因性気管支喘息症例では有意の増加傾向を示したが,一方内因性喘息症例では遊離増加はほとんどみられなかった. ハウスダスト抗原添加では,ハウスダストが抗原である気管支喘息症例においてのみ全血からの有意のヒスタミン遊離の増加が観察された. 以上の結果より,ヒスタミン自動分析装置による全血からの遊離ヒスタミンの測定は,気管支喘息の病態解明の1手段として極めて有用であると考えられる