FI Catalysts for Olefin Oligomerization and Polymerization: Production of Useful Olefin-Based Materials by Unique Catalysis

This contribution highlights the uniqueness of FI catalysts (phenoxy-imine ligated group 4 metal complexes) for olefin coordination insertion catalysis. FI catalysts possess characteristic structural and electronic features that are different from those of group 4 metallocene catalysts. These special features in turn initiate versatile catalytic properties that result in useful olefin-based materials some of which have already been commercialized.     

In situ TEM study on changes in structure and electrical conductance of carbon nanotube-gold contact induced by local joule heating

Electrical conductance of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with closed and open tips contacting with a gold (Au) electrode was studied by in situ transmission electron microscopy. When a current density through the contact region reached a threshold value of 2.6 × 10⁸ A/cm², the MWCNT tip was embedded into the Au surface by local melting of Au, and the total resistance was reduced with the increase of the contact area. Conductance per unit area at the contact between the MWCNT and Au electrode for the open-ended MWCNT is four times larger than that for the close-ended one, which is due to the direct connection of inner walls of the open-ended MWCNT with the Au surface.     

Evaluation of environmentally friendly lubricants for cold forging

The authors proposed double-layer-type environmentally friendly lubricants, which were composed of an undercoat, superior in adhering to a material, and an overcoat, superior in reducing the friction between the material and the die. The performance of these lubricants for cold forging was evaluated by the ring compression test, the combined forward rod-backward can extrusion-type friction test and the combined forward conical can-backward straight can extrusion-type friction test. The double-layer-type lubricants showed comparable friction characteristics and anti-pick-up properties to a conversion coating lubricant, when the film thickness and surface treatment before coating were improved. In a practical application by cold multistage forging, the double-layer-type lubricants showed a similar performance to a conversion coating lubricant.     

Scintillation Properties of 6LiI(Eu) in Cryogenic Temperatures

We measured emission wavelength spectra, scintillation decay time and scintillation light yield of ⁶LiI(Eu) in the temperature range from 4.2?K to 300?K. We observed that the scintillation decay time was almost constant (1.3?μs) below 100?K. At 4.2?K the light yield was found to increase to 6 times higher than that at 300?K. The ⁶LiI(Eu) is expected to be utilized for spectroscopic measurement of fast neutrons by operating at 4.2?K.     

Impact of Serum Chemerin Levels on Liver Functional Reserves and Platelet Counts in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Obesity-related metabolic abnormalities, including adipokine imbalance and chronic inflammation, are involved in liver carcinogenesis. Chemerin, a novel adipokine, plays a critical role in adipogenesis, energy metabolism, and inflammation. We evaluated the impact of serum chemerin levels on liver functional reserves in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and on the recurrence and prognosis of HCC. This study included 44 patients with any stage of HCC who underwent curative treatment at Gifu Municipal Hospital (Gifu, Japan) between 2006 and 2007. Recurrence-free survival and overall survival were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Serum albumin levels (Pearson’s correlation coefficient; r = 0.3110, p = 0.0399), platelet counts (r = 0.4159, p = 0.0050), and prothrombin times (r = 0.3775, p = 0.0115) were significantly correlated with serum chemerin levels in patients with HCC, and they were inversely correlated with Child-Pugh scores (r = −0.3732, p = 0.0126), serum alanine aminotransferase levels (r = −0.3864, p = 0.0105), and total bilirubin levels (r = −0.4023, p = 0.0068). Among these variables, a multiple comparison test identified that platelet counts and total bilirubin levels were associated with serum chemerin levels (p < 0.0083). No significant correlation was found between serum chemerin levels and recurrence-free survival (p = 0.3691) or overall survival (p = 0.7916). In HCC patients, serum chemerin concentrations were correlated with liver functional reserves and platelet counts, but not with recurrence or prognosis.     

A greedy reduced basis scheme for multifrequency solution of structural acoustic systems

The solution of frequency dependent linear systems arising from the discretization of vibro-acoustic problems requires a significant computational effort in the case of rapidly varying responses. In this paper, we review the use of a greedy reduced basis scheme for the efficient solution in a frequency range. The reduced basis is spanned by responses of the system at certain frequencies that are chosen iteratively based on the response that is currently worst approximated in each step. The approximations at intermediate frequencies as well as the a posteriori estimations of associated errors are computed using a least squares solver. The proposed scheme is applied to the solution of an interior acoustic problem with boundary element method (BEM) and to the solution of coupled structural acoustic problems with finite element method and BEM. The computational times are compared to those of a conventional frequencywise strategy. The results illustrate the efficiency of the method.     

Structural,mechanical, and electrical properties of carbon nanoparticles synthesized from diesel

We studied the elemental analysis, structural morphology, mechanical, and electrical properties of carbon nanoparticles synthesized from diesel. The spherical carbon particle size in the range of about 10 to 80 nm in diameter was observed in scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies that were identified by Atomic force microscopy (AFM) study as an aggregation of carbon particles of average size 2.5 nm. The surface rms of carbon nanoparticle thin film (CNTF) was measured directly by AFM and found 0.22 nm. The Derjaguin–Muller–Toporov (DMT) elastic modulus of carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) was measured by PeakForce QNM mode of AFM. The minimum and maximum elastic modulus was measured of 0.40 GPa and 43.89 GPa, respectively. The resistivity, conductivity, magneto resistance, mobility, and average Hall co-efficient were measured by “Ecopia Hall-effect measurement system” by four-point Van der Pauw approach at ambient condition. We demonstrated I–V characteristic at the Indium/CNTF thin film interface, which is accompanied by rectifying behavior.     

Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Biomarkers for Neurodegenerative Diseases

There has been an increasing prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases with the rapid increase in aging societies worldwide. Biomarkers that can be used to detect pathological changes before the development of severe neuronal loss and consequently facilitate early intervention with disease-modifying therapeutic modalities are therefore urgently needed. Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a promising tool that can be used to infer microstructural characteristics of the brain, such as microstructural integrity and complexity, as well as axonal density, order, and myelination, through the utilization of water molecules that are diffused within the tissue, with displacement at the micron scale. Diffusion tensor imaging is the most commonly used diffusion MRI technique to assess the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases. However, diffusion tensor imaging has several limitations, and new technologies, including neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging, diffusion kurtosis imaging, and free-water imaging, have been recently developed as approaches to overcome these constraints. This review provides an overview of these technologies and their potential as biomarkers for the early diagnosis and disease progression of major neurodegenerative diseases.     

Possibility of Japanese Cedar Pollen Causing False Positives in the Deep Mycosis Test

Because Japanese cedar pollen (JCP) contains beta-1,3-d-glucan (BG), there is concern that its lingering presence in the atmosphere, especially during its scattering period, may cause false positives in the factor-G-based Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay used to test for deep mycosis (i.e., G-test). Hence, we examined whether the LAL assay would react positively with substances contained in JCP by using the G-test to measure JCP particles and extracts. BG was purified from the JCP extract on a BG-specific affinity column, and the percentage extractability was measured using three different BG-specific quantitative methods. The G-test detected 0.4 pg BG in a single JCP particle and 10 fg from a single particle in the extract. The percentage extractability of JCP-derived BG was not significantly different among the three quantitative methods. As the JCP particles should technically have been removed during serum separation, they should be less likely to be a direct false-positive factor. However, given that the LAL-assay-positive substances in the JCP extract were not distinguishable by the three BG-specific quantitative methods, we conclude that they may cause the background to rise. Therefore, in Japan false positives arising from JCP contamination should be considered when testing patients for deep mycosis.     

Trend Curve Optimal Control Model for Optimizing Pavement Maintenance Strategies Consisting of Various Treatments

Abstract: Most literature on pavement maintenance optimization for the case of continuous time assumes only one type of maintenance treatment, such as overlay, to be applicable and demonstrates solution procedures with simple cases of limited scopes. However, as overlays may not always be appropriate, depending on traffic loading/pavement situations, the objective of this article is to propose an optimization approach based on the trend curve optimal control model, to obtain optimal strategies possibly consisting of overlay, resealing, and reconstruction. The applicability of the solution procedure is demonstrated with several cases representing a variety of traffic loading/pavement situations. The solutions indicate that an optimal maintenance strategy can consist of multiple types of treatments depending on the situation, illustrating the versatility of the proposed procedure.