Highly reliable mobile liquid crystal display using AlOx deposited by atomic layer deposition for side sealing structure

A side sealing structure including, outside a sealant, AlO_x deposited using an atomic layer deposition apparatus was employed for a low‐frequency driving liquid crystal display (LCD) with a bezel width of 0.7 mm. This side‐sealing structure can effectively prevent the entry of external moisture. Prevention of decrease in voltage‐holding ratio was confirmed with a test cell having this structure. A narrow‐bezel LCD with c‐axis‐aligned a‐b‐plane‐anchored crystal In‐Ga‐Zn Oxide backplane can have long‐term high reliability as a low‐frequency driving LCD.     

Anodic oxidation of coal slurries in flow-through packed bed electrodes

Experimental studies were made to determine the characteristics of anode systems depolarized by coal slurries. The anode was a packed bed of platinum-plated titanium pellets, through which the slurries were recirculated. This flow system increased collisions between coal particles and the anode surfaces so that the anodic oxidation of the coal was enhanced. At the same time, soluble organic compounds and Fe²⁺ ions dissolved from the coal were oxidized at the anode, and Fe³⁺ was reduced by thermochemical reactions with reducing compounds in the coal; this reduction was important in maintaining the current density in long-term electrolysis.     

Structure--activity relationships in human interleukin-1{alpha}: identification of key residues for expression of biological activities

To identify the sites important for the different biologicalactivities of human interleukin-l (hIL-1), 56 single-amino acid-substitutedmutants of hIL-l were produced in Escherichia coli using site-directedmutagenesis, and were examined for their biological activitiessuch as mouse lymphocyte activating factor activity (LAF activity),cytostatic activity against human melanoma cells A-375 (A375activity) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) inducing activity in humanosteosarcoma cells MG-63 (PEI activity). Two amino acid residues,Asp26 and Asp151, were found to be important for these activities.The replacement of Asp26 by Val caused a decrease in LAF andA375 activities by one or two orders of magnitude and a slightdecrease in A375 activity. The Tyr or Phe substitution for Asp151caused decreases in LAF and A375 activities by one or two ordersof magnitude and complete loss of PEI activity. The change fromAsp151 to Lys or Arg resulted in marked decrease in LAF activityand complete loss of A375 and PEI activities. Since Asp26 andAsp151 are close to each other in the three-dimensional structure,the region involving these amino acids seems to be importantfor the biological activities of hIL-1.     

A PTR-MS-Based Protocol for Simulating Bread Aroma During Mastication

The sampling parameters to simulate retronasal aroma during the mastication of white bread has been optimized using a retronasal aroma simulator (RAS) to compare the retronasal bread aroma with the conventional headspace aroma. The volatile composition in breath was compared with that in the effluent from a RAS using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry, and the optimized RAS parameters were as follows: 2.5 g of bread sample, 250 mL of buffer, 1 L/min of N₂ gas stream, 350 rpm of rotating speed, and 38 °C of water jacket temperature. The increased sensitivity and high reproducibility of RAS enabled detailed measurements of flavor release in the mouth during the mastication of bread. The simulated retronasal aroma was compared with the conventional headspace aromas by gas chromatography/olfactometry (GC/O), and the results demonstrated that the caramel note odorant of 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone was found to show the highest contribution to the headspace aroma; however, it showed little contribution to the simulated retronasal aroma. These differences appeared to be caused by the volume of buffer added in RAS experiments. The odorant concentrations in the RAS effluent were found to decrease with the increase of the buffer volume, and the decreasing rates appeared to be associated with the chemical types of odorants. Flavor release of typical odorants in a RAS was measured at various ratios of buffer volume, and the results indicated that flavor release in mouth appeared to be influenced by the physicochemical properties of odorants. The results would help flavor chemists to make better prediction of bread aroma in mouth during the mastication.     

Effect of reaction temperature on Fe–Al analcime formation

The effects of reaction period, temperature, and iron species on the zeolite framework type were studied in this work. Gismondine (GIS) is usually synthesized by hydrothermal method at 80°C from sodium metasilicate and aluminum nitrate as starting materials preferentially independent of the presence/absence of iron source. However, the present work revealed that pure analcime (ANA) could be formed at temperatures more than 120°C. A large polyhedral ANA crystal with a diameter of 180 μm was obtained even at a comparatively low temperature such as 150°C at a short reaction period of 1 week. The presence of iron source promoted the formation of pure ANA. Infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and ICP-OES analysis suggested that the iron component added as a reactant was incorporated into the ANA framework through the isomorphous substitution for Al.     

Stabilization of α-lipoic acid by complex formation with chitosan

α-Lipoic acid (ALA) is an essential cofactor in mitochondrial multi-enzyme complexes related to energy production. However, it is unstable under light or heat, and its decomposition is accompanied by an unpleasant odor. Therefore, its stabilization by complex formation with the cationic polymer chitosan (CS) was investigated. The ALA dissolved in demineralized water was efficiently adsorbed on the precipitated insoluble CS particles, and an ALA–CS complex was obtained. The amount of ALA adsorbed on CS was affected by the CS species and the quantity ratio of ALA to CS. The ALA from the ALA–CS complex was released immediately by changing the pH. When ALA was incubated at 65 °C, it melted and polymerized. In addition, some decomposition of ALA was also observed in the physical mixture of ALA with CS. However, the ALA–CS complex did not decompose at all under the same conditions. Thus, the stabilization of ALA was achieved by complex formation with CS. CS is useful as a material for the stabilization of ALA, leading to its clinical use.     

Thermally decomposable phosphonate ester polymer gels

A polymerizable dimethacryloyl vinylphosphonate (DMVP) was developed as a novel crosslinking agent by esterification of vinylphosphonic acid and methacryloyl chloride in the presence of triethylamine. Then, poly(DMVP) (PDMVP) was generated by bulk polymerization solution at 30, 45, and 80 °C in the presence of a radical initiator. The resultant PDMVP, polymerized at 45 and 80 °C, could be dissolved in acetone, water, and N-methylpyrrolidone. However, PDMVP obtained at 30 °C showed to be insoluble in such solvents and became a gel instead. It was found that the formed gel was soluble when heating due to hydrolysis of the ester bonds in the polymer. Evidence was presented showing the thermal decomposition behavior of the PDMVP gel, which showed an irreversible solid-to-liquid phase transition.     

Inverse gas chromatographic observation of thermodynamic interaction between poly (vinylidene fluoride) and organic solvents

Summary Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) has been applied to observe the interaction between poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and organic solvent systems under conditions approaching infinite dilution of the volatile component. The specific retention volumes (V_g ⁰) were calculated from the retention volumes of the PVDF/solvent systems. The retention diagrams (RDs) which were plotted as ln V_g ⁰ vs. reciprocal temperature, corresponded with the thermodynamic behavior of PVDF. PVDF dissolves well in carbonyl-containing solvents at high temperatures. In these systems, the solution is converted easily to a thermoreversible gel by standing at room temperature. The Flory-Huggins interaction parameter (χ₁₂) and molar heat of sorption of probe absorbed by the amorphous part of PVDF (Δ H₁ ^s) calculated from the retention values indicated that the characteristics of the interaction between PVDF and the solvent (probe) varied with temperature and probe properties. The results of IGC of PVDF/solvent systems were discussed in relation to the dissolution and gelation behavior of PVDF. Received: 29 September 1999/Revised version: 30 November 1999/Accepted: 9 December 1999     

Noninvasive online measurement of particle size and concentration in liquid–particle mixture by estimating equivalent circuit of electrical double layer

ABSTRACT

Three electrical elements (i.e., resistance, capacitance, and relaxation frequency) of electrical double layer (EDL) formed around particles have been extracted by a measuring–fitting combination for a novel noninvasive online measurement technique of particle size and concentration in a liquid–particle mixture. The measuring–fitting combination means measuring the impedances with electrical-impedance spectroscopy (EIS) method, and fitting the equivalent circuit with Levenberg–Marquardt method. The liquid–particle mixture in the impedance measurement is made of sodium chloride solution and stainless particles; the equivalent circuit is established corresponding to the contents in the liquid–particle mixture. As a result, the influence of the particle size and concentration on the electrical elements in the EDL which are the resistance, capacitance, and relaxation frequency in the EDL are clarified and discussed. This method is useful for determination of the particle size and concentration in liquid–particle mixture.