Investigation of the Drawability of Sheet Metals (Measurements of r Values of Sheet Steel)

For assessing the qualities of sheet metal for deep-drawing by the tension test, γ value is adopted generally. However, it is difficult and complicated to obtain the precise value of it. In order to obtain the value precisely and easily, the authors have made trialy the devices to measure directly the elongation and the reductions of width and thickness; these devices are transducers to which the electrical resistance strain gauges are applied. By using these devices, precise, continuous, multipoint and quick measurement can be done. It has been clarified by the continuous measurements that γ values are not the same relating to the elongations. It is recommended that one uses γ value obtained at about 25% elongation

Fatigue Strength of Metals under Alternating Stresses of Varying Amplitude

The criterion on fatigue damage and the formulas which can predict the fatigue lives and fatigue limits of metallic members under alternating stresses of varying amplitude, are established. The fatigue tests under alternating stresses of varying amplitude were carried out by the specially designed testing machines of three types, using unnotched or notched specimens of low-carbon steel, high-carbon steel and duralumin. And it is concluded that the fatigue lives and fatigue limits of metals subjected to varying repeated stresses like this can be determined by the analysis introduced in this paper

A Study on Fundamental Characteristics of Oil Seal (Temperature Dependence of Characteristics)

In order to clarify the sealing mechanism of an oil seal, it is necessary to know its fundamental properties and movement now in action. There are two subjects in this study. One is to reveal the temperature dependence of fundamental properties, mainly wringing force, average wringing pressure and lip contact width, and the other is to know the lip temperature now in action and to know how the lubrication is carried out at the lip portion. The measurements were carried out with our devised instruments for the former subject and with a thermocouple for the latter. A simple analysis of the lip temperature obtained was made in order to know a mechanism of the lubrication. The results indicate that with the rise of temperature of oil seal, the wringing force and the average wringing pressure decrease because of the reduction of rubber elastic modulus and of thermal expansion of spring, and the lip contact width hardly varies, and also indicate that under a constant temperature of lubricating oil, the lip temperature never rises so high as in the case of free rising of oil temperature, and that the fluid lubrication is carried out at the lip

Comparison of long-term changes in size and longevity of bee colonies in mid-west Japan and Maui with and without exposure to pesticide, cold winters, and mites

Four long-term field experiments in mid-west Japan (Shika) made it clear that extinction of colonies exposed to neonicotinoid was much higher than for colonies exposed to organophosphates. The incidence of hive death for of organophosphate-exposed and control (pesticide-free) colonies was similar. We conducted a field experiment in Maui for 271 days using the same pesticides (dinotefuran: 0.2 ppm, clothianidin: 0.08 ppm, fenitrothion: 1 ppm) as used in Shika with the honeybee, Apis mellifera, colonies without mites. Numbers of adult bees, capped brood, mites and other hive parameters were accurately counted on photographs of combs and on the inside of the hives. All six neonicotinoid (dinotefuran & clothianidin)-exposed colonies failed during the experiment. One of three organophosphate (fenitrothion)-exposed colonies and one of the three control colonies also failed. The findings from Maui, where colonies displayed no mites, provides evidence from Shika, with mites, that neonicotinoids are more hazardous to honeybee colonies than organophosphates. The apparent longevity of honeybee colonies on Maui was estimated by numbers of adult bees and capped brood using a mathematical model previously proposed. Seasonal changes in longevity on Maui differ greatly from changes at Shika, the latter showing distinct seasonal variation. Longevity on Maui remains nearly constant throughout the year with wide variations. At Shika, it increases drastically in winter, by six- to ten fold more than the other seasons. Differences seem to depend on the existence of cold winters and the length of flowering seasons. In a perpetually hospitable environment, small changes in conditions can be sensitively reflected in apparent longevity. Examining wide variations in apparent longevity that are seemingly incoherent, we recognized several differences in apparent longevity between neonicotinoid-exposed and organophosphate-exposed colonies: The colony that failed in after organophosphate-exposure colony group exhibited the longest apparent longevity and the fewest number of newly capped brood, as also was the case in control colonies. Extended longevity when few brood are newly produced is reasonable to maintain the colony from a physiological point of view. Extension of apparent longevity is not seen in neonicotinoid-exposed colonies when the number of newly capped brood is fewer. This finding suggests that neonicotinoid pesticides may inhibit normal apian physiology

Synthesis, characterization and its photoluminescence properties of group I-III-VI2 CuInS2 nanocrystals

We report the synthesis, characterization, and photoluminescence (PL) properties of colloidal I-III-VI2 CuInS2 and CuInS2/ZnS nanocrystals (NCs). Absorption shoulder and PL bands of the NCs are located at higher energy than those of band gap energy of bulk crystals due to a quantum-confinement effect. The PL band has a relatively large Stokes-shift, broad linewidth, and long decay-time, which suggests that the PL originates from a recombination of confined-excitions associated with donor(s) and/or acceptor(s). We found that quantum yield of the PL depends strongly on the photon-energy of excitation light and that it is up to 40-50% in resonant excitation at the energy positions corresponding to the absorption shoulder. Detailed properties and possible dynamics will be described. We also present preliminary results of PL properties focused on single NCs. There exist highluminescent NCs exhibiting so-called PL blinking as similar with II-VI NCs, while the others are dark NCs. 73.21.La, 78.47.jd, 78.67.Bf, 78.67.H

Influence of dinotefuran and clothianidin on a bee colony

Recently it has become a serious problem that honeybees suddenly vanish in their colony, which is referred to as a colony collapse disorder（ CCD）. We have made it clear by the field experiments for about four months what effect neonicotinoid pesticides such as dinotefuran and clothianidin have on the occurrence of CCD. Eight colonies consisting of about ten-thousand honeybees in each colony were investigated under the practical beekeeping conditions in our apiary. In this study foods containing dinotefuran of 1 ppm to 10 ppm or clothianidin of 0.4 ppm to 4 ppm were fed into a beehive. Three levels of concentration were 10（ high-conc.）, 50（ middle-conc.） and 100 （low-conc.） times lower than that in practical use. The changes of adult bees, brood and the pesticide intake in each colony were directly examined. They suggest that each colony with the pesticide administered collapses to nothing after passing through a state of CCD, the high-concentration pesticides seem to work as an acute toxicity and the low- and middle-concentration ones do as a chronic toxicity. CCD looks mysterious, but it is just one of situations where a colony dwindles to nothing. We have proposed a CCD occurrence mechanism based on our results. The NMR spectral analyses of dinotefuran and clothianidin in aqueous solution give the speculations that both are thermally stable under the heating condition of 50 ℃ ×24 hours and dinotefuran is radiationally stable under the ultraviolet-irradiation condition of 310 nm×50 W/m2 but clothianidin is unstable

Estimation of microphytobenthic resuspension fluxes in a shallow lagoon in Hokkaido, Japan

We conducted field sampling in a subarctic shallow lagoon (Hichirippu Lagoon) in the eastern part of Hokkaido, Japan. We investigated the chemical composition of the water column, sediment, and sinking particles collected by the sediment trap. The standing stock of chlorophyll a (Chl-a) in the water column and surface sediment were 0.4 to 9.3 and 35.9 to 184 mg m−2, respectively. Using stable isotope analysis, the contribution rate of microphytobenthos to the sinking particles was found to range from 63 to 74%. The average Chl-a content in the sinking particles was significantly lower than that of the water column. Our results suggest that the contribution of phytoplankton present in the water column to the Chl-a collected in the traps is likely to be negligible. We assumed that the Chl-a fluxes obtained in this study were microphytobenthic resuspension fluxes. The daily flux of Chl-a accounted for 47.0 to 1,270% of the total standing stock of Chl-a in the water column. The mean relative percentage of daily Chl-a flux divided by the standing stock of Chl-a in the sediment was 6.5%, which indicates that approximately 7% of the microphytobenthos present in the sediment was resuspended, and 93% of the total succeeded at escaping the winnowing action. Although the resuspension phenomenon had little effect on the population of microphytobenthos, the resuspended microphytobenthos had a major impact on the total micro algal biomass in the water column. This is the first direct estimate of microphytobenthic resuspension flux in shallow estuaries

Characteristics of NOM Released to Water from Different Forest and Agricultural Soils

The characteristics of natural organic matter (NOM) released to water from a soil environment were investigated based on the release potential and the quality indexes of SUVA, fluorescence EEM and molecular weight distribution using eight forest and agricultural soils collected from a representative river catchment (Kani River catchment in Gifu, Japan). The content of organic matter (OM) and its release potential to water differed obviously with type of soil origin, in the following order: vegetable field (VF) < paddy field (PF) < broadleaf forest (BF) < coniferous forest (CF) and VF < PF < CF < BF, respectively. For the released NOM, SUVA under different pH conditions decreased in the following order: neutral condition [3.6-24.0 m-1/(mg/L)] > basic condition [3.5-8.0 m-1/(mg/L)] > acidic condition [2.5-3.0 m-1/(mg/L)]. Humic acids (P1), fulvic acids (P2) and protein-like substances (P3) were the main components of the NOM released under neutral condition. The proportion of P1 and P2 released from the forest soils was lower than that from the agricultural soils. Marked differences in UV-absorbing constituents of NOM between forest and agricultural soils were found in the peak with a molecular weight of about 9800 g/mol identified as PSS (polystyrene sulfonate)

Proliferating Giant Pigmented Nevus: A Report of an Unusual Tumor Occurring in Association with a Congenital Giant Pigmented Nevus

A 32-year-old Japanese woman with a giant pigmented congenital nevus of the torso presented with a massive pigmented tumor mass of the vulva which grew over an 8-year period. Histologically, the tumor was composed of benign appearing nevus-like cells with focal areas of extensive fibrous response. The tumor cells were positive for S-100 protein and with an antihuman melanoma antibody (MoAb 225, 28S) stain. Electron microscopy confirmed the nevomelanocytic nature of the tumor cells and demonstrated peculiar cytoplasmic crystalline tubular structures similar to those seen in cells infected with herpes virus type II. We propose the term “proliferating giant pigmented nevus” for this previous undescribed tumor. J Invest Dermatol 92:315S–317S, 198