Preparation of a crack-free rough titania coating on stainless steel mesh by electrophoretic deposition

TiO₂ (anatase) coating was prepared on stainless mesh by electrophoretic (EPD) process utilizing an isopropyl alcohol (IPA)-based suspension with submicron TiO₂ powder. When the deposition time was 30 s, a smooth thin coating was obtained. It remained crack-free even after sintering. Coating surface morphology was roughened by UV pre-illumination of the suspension. Photocatalytic decomposition of IPA to acetone and resultant electrochemical reaction at cathode during EPD provides heterogeneous deposition.     

金属注射成形冷作工具钢的超声疲劳性能

用超声疲劳试验研究了金属注射成形(MIM)冷作工具钢和锻轧钢(JIS SKD11)的高周疲劳性能。锻轧钢试样于423K回火1h。另一方面，为了评估回火温度对疲劳性能的影响，将MIM钢试样于不同温度下进行了回火。在N=103～108疲劳寿命范围内进行了超声疲劳试验。MIM钢试样的疲劳强度和锻轧钢试样相同。MIM钢试样的疲劳强度随着回火温度升高而减低。显微组织的观察结果表明，MIM钢试样的碳化物的直径与形状比锻轧钢试样的均一。     

Occurrence,horizontal transfer and degeneration of VDE intein family in Saccharomycete yeasts

VDE is a homing endonuclease gene originally discovered as an intervening element in VMA1s of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. There have been two independent subfamilies of VDE, one from S. cerevisiae strain X2180-1A and the other from Saccharomyces sp. DH1-1A in the host VMA1 gene, and they share the identity of 96.3%. In order to search the occurrence, intra/interspecies transfer and molecular degeneration of VDE, complete sequences of VMA1 in 10 strains of S. cerevisiae, eight species of saccharomycete yeasts, Candida glabrata and Kluyveromyces lactis were determined. We found that six of 10 S. cerevisiae strains contain VDEs 99.7-100% identical to that of the strain X2180-1A, one has no VDE, whereas the other three harbour VDEs 100% identical to that of the strain DH1-1A. S. carlsbergensis has two VMA1s, one being 99.8% identical to that of the strain X2180-1A with VDE 100% identical to that of the strain DH1-1A and the other containing the same VMA1 in S. pastorianus with no VDE. This and other evidence indicates that intra/interspecies transmissions of VDEs have occurred among saccharomycete yeasts. Phylogenetic analyses of VMA1 and VDE suggest that the S. cerevisiae VDEs had branched earlier than other VDEs from an ancestral VDE and had invaded into the host loci as relatively late events. The two VDEs seemed to degenerate in individual host loci, retaining their splicing capacity intact. The degeneration of the endonuclease domains was distinct and, if compared, its apparent rate was much faster than that of the protein-splicing domains.     

Mechanism of superconductivity in the polyhedral-network compound Ba8Si46

The silicon clathrates--materials composed of metal-doped Si(20) dodecahedra--were identified as the first superconductors based on pure silicon networks. The mechanism of superconductivity in these materials can be obtained by studying their phonon modes, as modified by isotope substitution, and specific-heat measurements. Here, we present experimental studies that provide strong evidence that superconductivity in Ba(8)Si(46) is explained in the framework of phonon-mediated Bardeen-Cooper-Schriefer theory. Analyses using the McMillan approximation of the Eliashberg equation indicate that the superconducting mechanism is in the medium coupling regime, but at the high-end limit. The large density of states at the Fermi level, which arises from hybridization of the Si(20) cluster and Ba orbitals, is responsible for the unexpectedly high superconducting temperature. The temperature evolution of the specific heat unambiguously shows that this is an s-wave symmetry superconductor.     

Metal and Nonmetal Codoped 3D Nanoporous Graphene for Efficient Bifunctional Electrocatalysis and Rechargeable Zn–Air Batteries

Developing bifunctional electrocatalysts with high activities and long durability for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial toward the practical implementation of rechargeable metal–air batteries. Here, a 3D nanoporous graphene (np‐graphene) doped with both N and Ni single atoms/clusters is reported. The predoping of N by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) dramatically increases the Ni doping amount and stability. The resulting N and Ni codoped np‐graphene has excellent electrocatalytic activities for both the ORR and the OER in alkaline aqueous solutions. The synergetic effects of N and Ni dopants are revealed by density functional theory calculations. The free‐standing Ni,N codoped 3D np‐graphene shows great potential as an economical catalyst/electrode for metal–air batteries.     

Development of fault cause estimation method for distribution line

We are planning to develop the new Advanced Distribution Automation System (ADAS) equipped with optical communication network and sectionalizer with sensor for more grid reliability and efficiency on maintenance operation. The new system is featured with the function of fault cause or damaged part estimation. The new sectionalizer captures the waveform of electrical line surge originated by fault and the system analyzes the waveform for this function. This paper mainly introduces the system configuration of ADAS and an early stage examination of fault cause estimation technology.     

Inhibiting Surface Diffusion to Synthesize 3D Bicontinuous Nanoporous N-Doped Carbon for Boosting Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Flexible All-Solid-State Al-Air Batteries

Catalyzing oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and accelerating oxygen diffusion are two key challenges for the requirements of the cathode catalysts in the metal-air batteries. A promising strategy for improving both ORR performance and mass diffusion simultaneously is to build carbon-based catalysts with ORR-active chemical dopants and 3D interconnected porosity. Herein, a 3D nanoporous N-doped carbon with bicontinuous porosity and interconnected open-pore channels is reported, which is prepared by a polyaniline-assisted template method. The polyaniline can efficiently inhibit the surface diffusion-caused template coarsening, achieving a small pore size of 35 nm. The small porous morphology gives rise to a high N-dopant concentration up to 7.20 at.%, which in turn exhibits a commercial Pt/C-comparable ORR performance together with satisfied durability in alkaline media. Using these nanoporous carbon catalysts as air electrodes, an all-solid-state flexible Al-air battery is assembled with the measured maximum power density reaching 130.5 mW cm⁻², as compared to 106.2 mW cm⁻² when the commercial Pt/C standard is used. This study provides an efficient method to synthesize 3D N-doped carbon with bicontinuous nano-sized pore channels for wide-ranging applications in portable and flexible devices.     

Study on anisotropy of growth rate of ice crystal in supercooled water

The purpose of this research was to investigate the ice growth of a single crystal in three dimensions. Three-dimensional pattern of ice crystal growth in supercooled water was observed using Mach–Zehnder spectro-interferometer. Temperature was varied from −0.3 to −1.6 °C. It was found that the ice crystal began to grow as a single crystal at the tip of the capillary tube and propagated freely in supercooled water. Time variation of the shape of dendrite on a–c plane was obtained. It was found that half parabola fits the shape very closely, and the coefficient of squared term, a, of a quadratic function was calculated. The coefficient, a varied in time but at quasi steady state it was found to be depending mostly upon the degree of supercooling. Furthermore, the growth velocity in c-axis at the flat surface was calculated from the thickness measured. It was found that the velocity in c-axis is independent of the degree of supercooling but depends upon time, in other words, the thickness in c-axis.     

Encapsulation-release property of amphiphilic hyperbranched d-glucan as a unimolecular reverse micelle

The synthesis of a novel unimolecular reverse micelle, the hyperbranched d-glucan carbamate (3), was accomplished through the carbamation reaction of the hyperbranched d-glucan (1) with the N-carbonyl l-leucine ethyl ester (2) in pyridine at 100 °C. Polymer 3 was soluble in a large variety of organic solvents, such as methanol, acetone, chloroform, and ethyl acetate, and insoluble in water, which remarkably differed from the solubility of 1. The degree of carbamate substitution (DS) for 3 was controlled by the feed rate of 2, and the DS values were in the range of 46.0-93.7%. Polymer 3 possessed the encapsulation ability for water-soluble molecules, such as rose bengal, thymol blue, and alizarin yellow in chloroform, and the encapsulation ability depended on the hydrophilicity of 3 and the molecular size of the dye. The rose bengal (RB) encapsulated polymer (RB/3) showed a slow release from the RB/3 system into water at neutral pH, while the release rate was significantly accelerated by the hydrolysis of the hydrophobic polymer shell under basic conditions.     

One-step direct assay for mature-type adrenomedullin with monoclonal antibodies

Adrenomedullin (AM) is a potent hypotensive peptide. Plasma contains mature-type AM (m-AM), which is amidated at the carboxy terminus, and an intermediate, AM-Gly. We developed a one-step two-site IRMA specific for determining human m-AM with monoclonal antibodies. The detection limit was 0.5 pmol/L, and the working range (CV <15%) was 1-300 pmol/L. Dilution of plasma samples showed good linearity. The recovery of added AM was 91-118%. The intra- and interassay imprecision values (CVs) were 4.4-8.2% and 5.5-8.3%, respectively. The assay had no cross-reactivity with AM-Gly or other peptides similar to AM. The mean (+/- SD) plasma human m-AM concentration of 61 healthy subjects was 1.18 +/- 0.65 pmol/L. In conclusion, our IRMA makes it possible to specifically measure m-AM, using a small amount of plasma sample (0.2 mL) by a one-step overnight assay without prior extraction. Our simplified method would be suitable for clinical studies on AM, especially when large numbers of samples must be processed.