Scalar Transfer across a Turbulent/non-turbulent Interface in a Planar Jet

This fluid dynamics video is an entry for the Gallery of Fluid Motion of the 66th Annual Meeting of the APS-DFD. In this video, the scalar transfer across the turbulent/non-turbulent (T/NT) interface in a planar jet is investigated by using a direct numerical simulation. Visualization of the scalar flux across the T/NT interface shows that the diffusive species premixed in the ambient flow is transferred into the turbulent region mainly across the leading edge (Here, the leading edge is the T/NT interface across which the turbulent fluid turns into the non-turbulent fluid in the streamwise direction).Comment: The fluid dynamics video for an entry for the Gallery of Fluid Motion of the 66th Annual Meeting of the APS-DFD is include

The Magnetic Tape System of the Kyoto University Digital Computer KDC-I

This paper describes the details of the magnetic tape system of the Kyoto University Digital Computer KDC-I with emphasis on the design features and problems. The system was developed and built in collaboration with Hitachi, Ltd., and was attached to the main part of the computer in October 1960. The tape is used only as a secondary memory and not as an input/output medium at present. The tape system includes magnetic tape handlers and a magnetic tape control unit which contains a high speed magnetic core memory. The main features of the tape system are :-concurrent operations of the tape and of the main part of the computer, a new block number system which was named a variable block number system, an instruction system which enables a simple treatment of the drop-out problem of magnetic tape, noise suppression and the correction of time displacement error by using the KDC-I basic logic circuits, and so on. In spite of difficulties at the time of the design of the system, the completed tape system satisfies the required functions and is utilized almost daily at the Kyoto University Computation Center

Area-Based Medicine

Japan’s health insurance system has reached a critical turning point owing to a decreasing birthrate, increasing longevity, and changes in disease trends. The Japanese government is promoting the establishment of a community-based integrated care system aimed at maintaining the dignity of elderly individuals and supporting independent living. This care system will ensure medical and nursing care, preventive measures, and independent living support. This type of care system should be based on the characteristics of individual geographical areas, as there are marked regional variations in patterns of aging, lifestyle, and the adequacy of local medical care. Therefore, it is important that medical services are tailored to fit the kind of medical care needed by residents of each geographical area and to provide medical services accordingly. In this paper, we propose a need for area-based medicine, whereby medical care is provided according to the characteristics of individual geographical areas in super-ageing societies such as that of Japan

On the Design of the Kyoto University Digital Computer KDC-I

This paper describes the outline, the design features and design problems of the KDC-I, Kyoto University Digital Computer I, which has been developed and built in collaboration with Hitachi, Ltd. and put into operation since August 1960 at the computation center of the University. Emphasis is laid on the computer instructions. On other subjects only main design features are given. The KDC-I is a serial-parallel decimal computer using transistor dynamic flip-flop circuits operating at 230kc per second. A magnetic core and magnetic drum memory constitute the main internal memory of the computer, while magnetic tape memory is used as an external memory. Both fixed-point and floating-point operations are feasible in the computer. The concurrent operations of the output and of the magnetic tape units with the central processing unit increase the processing speed of the computer. The programming group at the University has already completed a fairly extensive library of subroutines and some very useful assemblers such as SYCS-1. Moreover a KDC ALGOL 60 Compiler is now under program test. The KDC-I has already performed a vast amount of calculations on various problems, which have been submitted by the staff and students of the University. With two years of operating experience, satisfactory results are being obtained from this computer

–Gel Formation Ability Of Monohexadecyl Phosphate Neutralized By L–Arginine

The aqueous phase diagram of monohexadecyl phosphate neutralized by L-arginine (C16MP- Arg, Figure 1) was studied using analytical techniques including differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), small/ wide-angle X-ray scattering (SWAXS) measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. We found that the mixture could form an α-gel over wide ranges of concentrations and temperatures (Figure 2). The α-gel was thermodynamically stable at 25°C (below the phase transition temperature for hexagonal or lamellar liquid crystals), and did not transform to coagel for at least one year. This behavior is unique among anionic surfactant systems. Thus, the balance between hydrophilic and hydrophobic volumes is a key factor for determining whether a stable α-gel can be obtained. In this system, the relatively large volume of Arg relaxed the alkyl chains of C16MP and prevented their crystallization. We also characterized the behavior of water in the C16MP-Arg α-gel system. An increased water concentration resulted in an increase in the d-spacing of the lamellar bilayers (Figure 3) as well as an increased wavenumber for the O-H stretching vibration peak. In addition, the melting enthalpy increased with increasing water concentration, while freezing was not observed below a water concentration of 20 wt%. These results suggest that the overall properties of water changed as a function of its concentration in the sample. 1H-NMR spin-spin relaxation time (T2) measurements further suggest that the protons of water and C16MP-Arg can be classified into three components (low-, middle-, and high-T2 components) as a function of the temperature and concentration. The low-T2 component mainly arose from the protons of C16MP-Arg alkyl chains, and its mobility increased with increasing temperature. The high-T2 component arose from the protons of water. The water behaved as “bound water” for the C16MP-Arg headgroups at –30°C and a water concentration of 20 wt%, and the mobility increased with increasing temperature and water concentration. These changes suggest that an increased water concentration results in an increased amount of water being incorporated between the C16MP-Arg lamellar bilayers as well as in spaces surrounded by α-gel domains. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

RIL-StEp: epistasis analysis of rice recombinant inbred lines (RILs) reveals candidate interacting genes that control seed hull color and leaf chlorophyll content

Characterizing epistatic gene interactions is fundamental for understanding the genetic architecture of complex traits. However, due to the large number of potential gene combinations, detecting epistatic gene interactions is computationally demanding. A simple, easy-to-perform method for sensitive detection of epistasis is required. Due to their homozygous nature, use of recombinant inbred lines excludes the dominance effect of alleles and interactions involving heterozygous genotypes, thereby allowing detection of epistasis in a simple and interpretable model. Here, we present an approach called RIL-StEp (recombinant inbred lines stepwise epistasis detection) to detect epistasis using single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the genome. We applied the method to reveal epistasis affecting rice (Oryza sativa) seed hull color and leaf chlorophyll content and successfully identified pairs of genomic regions that presumably control these phenotypes. This method has the potential to improve our understanding of the genetic architecture of various traits of crops and other organisms

Student Exchange Program with University of Shanghai for Science and Technology - Present and Future

岡山大学と上海理工大学との交流の一環として、相互に研修生を派遣する語学文化研修 プログラムが始まって二年になろうとしている。独自に築きあげた日本語教授法を中心に 本プログラムを紹介し、今後の展望についても論ずる

Promoter structure and transcription initiation sites of the human death receptor 5/TRAIL-R2 gene11The nucleotide sequence of the DR5 gene promoter is in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases with the following accession number: AB054004.

AbstractThe death receptor 5 (DR5) is a receptor for tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand and is able to induce apoptosis in various tumor cells. The expression of DR5 is up-regulated at the transcriptional level by p53, genotoxic stress and so on. To investigate the structure of the DR5 gene promoter, we screened and sequenced a genomic clone containing the 5′-flanking region of the DR5 gene. RNase protection assays showed two major transcription start sites around −122 and −137 upstream of the translation initiation codon ATG. Transient transfections with serial 5′-deletion mutants identified the minimal promoter element spanning −198 to −116. Site-directed mutagenesis demonstrated that the DR5 gene promoter has no typical TATA-box, but has two Sp1 sites responsible for the basal transcription activity of the DR5 gene promoter