Triboemission, tribochemical reaction, and friction and wear in ceramics under various n-butane gas pressures

The triboemission behaviour of negatively and positively charged particles and photons generated by scratching a Si₃N₄ disc with a conical diamond stylus was studied under various gas pressures of n-butane as a model compound of typical paraffinic lubricating oil. The triboemission behaviour of photon emission in a frictional system of an Al₂O₃ ball sliding on Al₂O₃ and Si₃N₄ discs was also measured under various n-butane gas pressures. Further, the friction and wear in the frictional system of an Al₂O₃ ball sliding on an Si₃N₄ disc were studied under various n-butane gas pressures. The triboemission intensities of three kinds of energetic particles, negatively and positively charged particles and photons, become a maximum at a particular n-butane gas pressure. When the n-butane gas pressure is such that triboemission is a maximum, the formation of friction polymer-like high molecular weight products is at a maximum, and friction and wear of the ball decreases to a minimum. It has been concluded that the friction polymer-like high molecular weight products are formed through tribochemical reactions triggered by triboemission phenomena and help reduce the friction and wear of the solids.     

汽车电子连接器的力学机理研究——截面针型连接器设计参数的灵敏度分析

以连接端子、印刷电路板和电镀通孔3种不同材料构成的一种可拔插截面针型汽车电子连接器为研究对象,为满足其在非塑性状态下相互接触实现可反复拔插、稳定低电阻的连接要求。针对连接可靠性设计问题,利用接触动力学理论,对基于设计参数变化的连接器米赛斯应力和接触应力分布进行了解析和灵敏度分析,得到了影响其连接性能的关键设计参数。文中为减少高精度设计参数灵敏度解析的计算时间,提出了将连接端子前、后段形态设计参数分离的解析法,即在接触力学解析过程中,首先以准静态接触方法对连接端子后段(连接形态)设计参数进行接触力学解析,再以动态接触方法对连接端子前段(插拔形态)设计参数进行接触力学解析的方法。其结果对同类微小型可拔插截面针型汽车电子连接器设计参数的确定具有参考价值。     

Measurements of Two-Dimensional Distribution of Refrigerant Concentration in EHL Film Using Micro FT-IR and Effect of Variation of Concentration on Oil Film Thickness

The dissolution of refrigerant into a lubricant causes a decrease in viscosity of the oil and it gives a large effect on the lubrication of sliding parts in a refrigerant compressor. This paper describes an application of micro FT-IR to measure the two-dimensional concentration distribution of refrigerant held in solution in the EHL film surrounded by the refrigerant gas and discusses the refrigerant concentration variation in the vicinity of the Hertzian contact area. In order to measure the concentration distribution, an apparatus which can observe the EHL film in a point contact in the refrigerant atmosphere was developed. The refrigerant concentration was measured using micro FT-IR through a CaF₂ window from outside of the apparatus with polyol ester as a base oil in an atmosphere pressurized with HFC-134a refrigerant gas. The results indicate that the concentration of HFC-134a refrigerant reduces in the inlet boost region of EHL contact and the Hertzian contact area but in the side region of Hertzian contact area it is greater than that in the bulk fluid. In addition, the effect of the variation on the oil film thickness is discussed.     

MicroRNA-331-3p Suppresses Cervical Cancer Cell Proliferation and E6/E7 Expression by Targeting NRP2

Aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) is involved in the development and progression of various types of cancers. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-331-3p in cell proliferation and the expression of keratinocyte differentiation markers of uterine cervical cancer cells. Moreover, we evaluated whether neuropilin 2 (NRP2) are putative target molecules that regulate the human papillomavirus (HPV) related oncoproteins E6 and E7. Cell proliferation in the human cervical cancer cell lines SKG-II, HCS-2, and HeLa was assessed using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, inner salt (MTS) assay. Cellular apoptosis was measured using the TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) and Annexin V assays. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to measure the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of the NRP2, E6, E7, p63, and involucrin (IVL) genes. A functional assay for cell growth was performed using cell cycle analyses. Overexpression of miR-331-3p inhibited cell proliferation, and induced G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis in SKG-II, HCS-2 and HeLa cells. The luciferase reporter assay of the NRP2 3′-untranslated region revealed the direct regulation of NRP2 by miR-331-3p. Gene expression analyses using quantitative RT-PCR in SKG-II, HCS-2, and HeLa cells overexpressing miR-331-3p or suppressing NRP2 revealed down-regulation of E6, E7, and p63 mRNA and up-regulation of IVL mRNA. Moreover, miR-331-3p overexpression was suppressed NRP2 expression in protein level. We showed that miR-331-3p and NRP2 were key effectors of cell proliferation by regulating the cell cycle, apoptosis. NRP-2 also regulates the expression of E6/E7 and keratinocyte differentiation markers. Our findings suggest that miR-331-3p has an important role in regulating cervical cancer cell proliferation, and that miR-331-3p may contribute to keratinocyte differentiation through NRP2 suppression. miR-331-3p and NRP2 may contribute to anti-cancer effects.     

A new type of arc plasma reactor with 12-phase alternating current discharge for synthesis of carbon nanotubes

A new type of arc plasma reactor with 12-phase alternating current (AC) discharge for synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is proposed. A couple of six discharge electrodes by which have mutually electrical connection between them to enlarge the high-temperature regions in the reactor are arranged to three-dimensional locations. A new method of CNTs fabrication by this reactor, which accomplishes to enlarge the suitable growth region in high purity and at high yield, was developed.     

Stabilization of bioethanol recovery with silicone rubber‐coated ethanol‐permselective silicalite membranes by controlling the pH of acidic feed solution

In order to produce highly concentrated bioethanol by pervaporation using an ethanol‐permselective silicalite membrane, techniques to suppress adsorption of succinic acid, which is a chief by‐product of ethanol fermentation and causes the deterioration in pervaporation performance, onto the silicalite crystals was investigated. The amount adsorbed increased as the pH of the aqueous succinic acid solution decreased. The pervaporation performance also decreased with decreasing pH when the ternary mixtures of ethanol/water/succinic acid were separated. Using silicalite membranes individually coated with two types of silicone rubber, pervaporation performance was significantly improved in the pH range of 5 to 7, when compared with that of non‐coated silicalite membranes in ternary mixtures of ethanol/water/succinic acid. Moreover, when using a silicalite membrane double‐coated with the two types of silicone rubber, pervaporation performance was stabilized at lower pH values. In the separation of bioethanol by pervaporation using the double‐coated silicalite membrane, removal of accumulated substances having an ultraviolet absorption maximum at approximately 260 nm from the fermentation broth proved to be vital for efficient pervaporation. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Syntheses and structural properties of four Rb-aluminosilicate zeolites

Four types of Rb-aluminosilicate zeolites were hydrothermally synthesized in pure phase for the first time from Rb-aluminosilicate gels without using any organic structure-directing agent (SDA) under stirring conditions. The crystal structure of each zeolite was refined by Rietveld analysis of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) data. These crystal structures were confirmed to be Rb-mordenite, Rb-merlinoite, a new aluminosilicate zeolite with an ATT framework topology, and Rb-offretite denoted by RMA-1, RMA-2, RMA-3, and RMA-4, respectively. The Si/Al ratio of RMA-1 with an MOR topology varied from 5.3 to 8.0; however, the variation of the Si/Al ratios of the other zeolites was rather small. The crystal system of RMA-2 was tetragonal with space group I4/mmm, where two Rb sites were distributed at the center of an 8-membered ring (MR). On the other hand, two Rb sites in RMA-3 were located at the center of the 8-MR in small two cages. The structure of RMA-4 was identified as the OFF type with a local disorder or defect, which included a small amount of an intergrown ERI phase.     

Catabolic fate of dietary trilinoleoylglycerol hydroperoxides in rat gastrointestines

To elucidate whether dietary lipid peroxides are absorbed in the body, the catabolic fate of trilinoleoylglycerol hydroperoxides (TL-OOH), in the gastrointestines of rats was examined. Oxidized trilinoleoylglycerol with a peroxide value of 1000 meq/kg, 0.5 or 20 mg, was dosed intragastrically to rat together with 59.5 or 40 mg unoxidized trilinoleoylglycerol, respectively. The fate of TL-OOH in gastric and intestinal lumina was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography periodically until 240 min after treatment. At low dose, TL-OOH was soon broken down to linoleic acid hydroperoxides (LA-OOH) and hydroxyls, probably through gastric lipases, whereas at high dose, TL-OOH was retained in the stomach. In both cases, TL-OOH did not reach the intestines, though the unoxidized lipids moved to the intestines. When LA-OOH was given intragastrically, the lipids decomposed in the stomach, and linoleic acid hydroxyls, hexanal, 9-oxononanoic acid, and two novel compounds were detected 30 min after treatment. The novel compounds were identified to be epoxyketones, 11-oxo-12,13-epoxy-9- and 11-oxo-9,10-epoxy-12-octadecenoic acids. Thus, dietary TL-OOH was broken down in the stomach releasing, LA-OOH which decomposed further, and did not reach the intestines.     

Visualization of the information flow through human oculomotor cortical regions by transcranial magnetic stimulation

We investigated the topography of human cortical activation during an antisaccade task by focal transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). We used a figure-eight shaped coil, with the stimulus intensity set just above the threshold for activation of the hand motor areas but weak enough not to elicit blinks. TMS was delivered at various time intervals (80, 100, and 120 ms) after target presentation over various sites on the scalp while the subjects performed the antisaccade task. It was possible to elicit a mild but significant delay in saccade onset over 1) the frontal regions (a region 2-4 cm anterior and 2-4 cm lateral to hand motor area) and 2) posterior parietal regions (6-8 cm posterior and 0-4 cm lateral to hand motor area) regardless of which hemisphere was stimulated. The frontal regions were assumed to correspond to a cortical region including the frontal eye fields (FEFs), whereas the parietal regions were assumed to represent a wide region that includes the posterior parietal cortices (PPCs). The regions inducing the delay shifted from the posterior parietal regions at an earlier interval (80 ms) to the frontal regions at a later interval (100 ms), which suggested an information flow from posterior to anterior cortical regions during the presaccadic period. At 120 ms, the effect of TMS over the frontal regions still persisted but was greatly diminished. Erroneous prosaccades to the presented target were elicited over a wide cortical region including the frontal and posterior parietal regions, which again showed a forward shift with time. However, the distribution of effective regions exhibited a clear contralateral predominance in terms of saccade direction. Our technique provides a useful method not only for detecting the topography of cortical regions active during saccadic eye movement, but also for constructing a physiological map to visualize the temporal evolution of functional activities in the relevant cortical regions.     

What facial part is important for Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata) in recognition of smiling and sad faces of humans (Homo sapiens)?

Four Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata) and 17 humans (Homo sapiens) performed an odd-item visual search task of a variety of photos of human facial expressions. The target was either a genuine smiling face or a sad face of a female. The distracters were the following artificial images produced by a computerized image processing system: (a) a neutral face made by averaging the 2 targets or (b) faces with smiling or sad eyebrows, eyes, cheeks, or mouth on the neutral face. The search reaction time of both species was the longest when they had to find the smiling target among the distracters having the smiling cheeks. In searching for the sad target, however, the reaction time of humans was the longest when the distracters had sad eyebrows or sad cheeks, whereas the longest reaction time for monkeys was when the distracters had sad cheeks. These results indicate that monkeys search smiling human faces as humans do, but monkeys do not use eyebrows as a cue to search sad human faces. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)