Superconducting Coupling Nature at Grain Boundaries in Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox Glass-Ceramics

Superconducting coupling nature at grain boundaries in Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O _x glass-ceramics consisting mainly of the low- T _c phase was first examined by measuring superconducting properties and temperature or ac field dependence of ac complex susceptibility. It was found from the ac loss peaks that superconducting coupling at grain boundaries was basically characterized by three types of weak links. The weak-link behaviors at grain boundaries depended strongly on cooling conditions after annealing and annealing time and temperature. Particularly, it was found that the weak links at grain boundaries were improved by prolonged annealing at 840°C. The furnace-cooled glass-ceramics obtained by annealing at 820° or 840°C for about 200 h exhibited a critical transport current density (77 K, zero magnetic field) of about 200 A/cm².     

Gadolinia-modified ceria photocatalyst for removal of lead (II) ions from aqueous solutions

Gd₂O₃-modified CeO₂ particles are prepared by a solid-state reaction method, and are used to remove Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions by a photoelectrodeposition. The UV–photocatalytic activity for Pb(II) ion removal of the Gd₂O₃-modified CeO₂ is significantly higher than that of pure CeO₂. A solid solution Gd_0.1Ce_0.9O_1.95 phase coexisting with the CeO₂ matrix phase shows a high ability of photoelectrodeposition for the Pb(II) ions removal, compared to the two-phases mixture of Gd₂O₃–CeO₂. The high photocatalytic activity is also supported by a strong photoluminescence (PL) signal from the Gd_0.1Ce_0.9O_1.95–CeO₂. The high activity can be due to a formation of heterojunctions between p-type Gd_0.1Ce_0.9O_1.95 and n-type CeO₂, promoting transfer of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and efficiency restraining recombination of the charges.     

Low-cycle fatigue prediction model for pb-free solder 96.5Sn-3.5Ag

Low-cycle fatigue (LCF) data of Sn-Ag eutectic solder (96.5Sn-3.5Ag) under various temperatures and frequencies has been described using three different prediction models, i.e., Coffin-Manson model, Smith-Watson-Topper (SWT) model, and Morrow energy model. The LCF behavior represented by the present prediction models showed temperature and frequency dependences, i.e., the fatigue ductility coefficient increased with increasing frequency and decreasing temperature. In order to better correlate the LCF data, a flow stress and/or frequency-dependent modifications were introduced to the Coffin-Manson and Morrow energy models. The frequency-modified Coffin-Manson model could not describe the influence of temperature on LCF behavior, while the flow stress-modified frequency-modified Morrow energy model, into which the metallurgical response (flow stress and frequency) was introduced to account for the effect of temperature and frequency on LCF behavior, gave reasonable predictions of LCF data under various temperatures and frequencies.     

Synthesis of phosphonate-containing mesoporous silica spheres under basic condition

Phosphonate-containing mesoporous silica (PMPS) spheres were successfully synthesized using diethyl(2-bromoethyl)phosphonate and non-ionic and cationic surfactants. The spherical PMPS particles with the mesopores were effectively formed under the basic condition through the hydrolysis and condensation reactions of tetraethoxysilane, even though the BET surface area of the particles decreased with increasing the added phosphonate amount. The hollow structures with the mesopores were obtained in the preferential amount of the phosphonate.     

Application of microalgae hydrolysate as a fermentation medium for microbial production of 2-pyrone 4,6-dicarboxylic acid

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Development of a strain for efficient degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls by patchwork assembly of degradation pathways

Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 accumulates chlorobenzoates (CBA) during the degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). CBA degradation is considered one of the rate-limiting steps in the complete degradation of PCBs. To reduce the accumulation of CBAs, the upper pathway enzyme genes for PCB degradation of RHA1 were introduced into a CBA-degrading bacterium, Burkholderia sp. NK8. The resulting recombinant strain exhibited no biphenyl 2,3-dioxygenase (BphA) activity encoded by bphAaAbAcAd genes, which encode the large and small subunits of the terminal oxygenase component and the ferredoxin and reductase subunits responsible for electron transfer from NADH to the large subunit. The remaining enzyme genes involved in the transformation of biphenyl to benzoate, bphB2C1D1, which encode dehydrogenase, ring-cleavage dioxygenase and hydrolase, conferred activities to NK8. To obtain the BphA activity of RHA1 in NK8, sets of BphA genes were constructed by combining the bphAaAbAcAd genes of RHA1 and bphA3A4 of Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes KF707, encoding the ferredoxin and reductase subunits. Hybrid derivatives of BphA containing the KF707 bphA3 conferred BphA activity to NK8, and a derivative containing the RHA1 bphAaAb and KF707 bphA3A4 genes exhibited the highest BphA activity. A plasmid containing the RHA1 bphAaAb and KF707 bphA3A4 genes plus the RHA1 bphB2C1D1 genes was constructed and introduced into NK8. The resulting recombinant strain efficiently degraded 2-, 3- and 4-chlorobiphenyls with an apparent reduction in CBA accumulation in comparison to the recombinant mutant strain, which had an insertion in the cbeA gene to inactivate CBA dioxygenase.     

Suppression of inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and amelioration of lipopolysaccharide-induced liver injury by polyphenolic compounds in Eucalyptus globulus leaf extract

Eucalyptus leaf extract (ELE) is rich in hydrolyzable tannins. We examined the effects of ELE and its constituents on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced liver injury in mice. Mice fed a diet supplemented with 1% ELE were intraperitoneally administered LPS. Six hours later, the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities were significantly lower in the ELE-supplemented mice than in the controls; LPS-induced hepatic inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression was also suppressed. ELE lowered LPS-stimulated iNOS expression in cultured RAW 264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, the aglycones of hydrolyzable tannins, gallic acid (GA) and ellagic acid (EA), inhibited iNOS induction to a greater extent than did ELE (15-fold higher). When mice were fed a 1% GA or EA diet, the increase in the serum ALT and AST activities and hepatic iNOS expression in response to the LPS challenge were significantly attenuated. Thus, hydrolyzable tannins in ELE ameliorate LPS-induced liver injury.     

Photoelastic Effects in Phosphate Glasses

The stress-optical coefficients of RO-Pz05 glasses (R = Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, and Zn) were measured, and the photoelasticity mechanisms were analyzed based on the equation expressing the relation among the photoelastic constants, the elastic moduli, and the refractive index of glasses. No simple relation was found between the stress-optical coefficient and the elastic modulus, indicating that the factor (p – q), where p and q are the Neumann strain-optical coefficients, is important. The change of (p – q) with glass composition is governed mainly by changes in the effect of the atoms, rather than the lattice. The atomic effect increases with decreasing radius of the divalent cation, except for Zn²⁺. The ZnO-containing glasses exhibit extraordinarily large atomic effects. The photo-elasticity mechanism is discussed in relation to the nature of the chemical bonds.