A new maritime lifesaving multiple-effect solar still design

This paper presents a new maritime lifesaving multiple-effect solar still design where several extended wicks feed seawater to their evaporating areas by capillary force, and the resulting water vapor diffuses and condenses on facing wicks with the condensate flowing through the wicks into storage bags. A theoretical analysis showed that a temperature drop through diffusion layers between evaporating and condensing wicks slowly increases in the main evaporating areas and rapidly near salt depositions whereas the evaporation rate decreases slowly in the main area and rapidly near salt depositions. These changes are caused by increases in salt concentrations and resulting boiling point elevation. With steady-state transfer analysis, the proposed still is predicted to produce about 15 kg m ⁻²d⁻¹ fresh water on a sunny day of 22 MJm⁻²d⁻¹ solar radiation, showing a potential to be a maritime lifesaving desalinator.     

Ceramic Dental Molds for the Precision Casting of Titanium and Titanium Alloys: I, Relationship between Particle-Size Distribution of Aggregates and Mold Expansion

A new ceramic dental mold can cast excellent Ti restoratives by controlling expansion due to the oxidation of additive metal particles. The packing structure of the metal and aggregate particles in the mold can be considered a function of the size distribution of the aggregate grains. An investigation of the expansion mechanism reveals three different relationships of void fraction versus linear thermal expansion for the molds at the high temperature under which oxidation of the metal particles occurs. Room-temperature casting, favorable for making high-quality Ti restoratives, can also be achieved by precisely controlling both the amount of additive metal powder and the compositional distribution of aggregate grain sizes in the mold.     

Change of viscoelastic properties of epoxy resin in the curing process

This paper is concerned with the relation between the time and temperature dependences of the flexural properties and the curing conditions for the bisphenol A-type epoxy resin with acid anhydride hardener. Relaxation moduli of epoxy resin, prepared at several curing temperatures and times, were measured in the temperature range from T_g ?70°C to T_g. The master curves of relaxation modulus for the epoxy resin could be constructed, using their thermorheological simple properties. The time–temperature shift factors of the epoxy resin could be approximately expressed by the Arrhenius equation with the activation energy 59.4 kcal/mole. independent of its curing conditions. The curing time and temperature were equivalent, that is, the short curing time at high temperature corresponded to the long curing time at low temperature. The curing time–temperature shift factor could be approximately expressed by the Arrhenius equation with the activation energy 21.3 kcal/mole, which was higher than the activation energy 14.2 kcal/mole obtained in the measurements of gel times. The increase in the values shows that the temperature dependences of reaction rates increase with progressing gelation.     

Thermal properties of diamond/copper composite material

Thermal considerations are becoming increasingly important for the reliabilities of the electronics parts as the electronics technologies make continuous progress such as the higher output power of laser diodes or the higher level of integration of ICs. For this reason the desire for improving thermal properties of materials for electronics component parts is getting stronger and the material performance has become a critical design consideration for packages. To meet the demands for a high performance material for heat spreader materials and packages, a new composite material composed of diamond and copper was successfully manufactured under high pressure and high temperature. The effects of diamond particle sizes and the volume fractions of diamond on both thermal conductivity and the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) were investigated. The thermal conductivity of the composite material was dependent on both the particle size and the volume fraction of diamond, while the CTE was dependent only on the volume fraction of diamond. At the higher diamond volume fraction, the experimentally obtained thermal conductivities of the composite materials were above the theoretically expected values and the experimentally obtained CTE were between the two theoretical Kerner lines. This may be due to the fact that at the higher diamond volume fraction the diamond particles are closely packed to form bondings between each particle. The composite of diamond and copper have a potential for a heat spreading substrate with high performance and high reliability because not only its thermal conductivity is high but its coefficient of thermal expansion can be tailored according to a semiconductor material of electronics devices.     

Rapid and Continuous Hydrothermal Synthesis of Boehmite Particles in Subcritical and Supercritical Water

Hydrothermal synthesis of AlOOH particles from an Al(NO₃)₃ aqueous solution was examined in subcritical and supercritical water. Continuous and rapid production of AlOOH fine particles was achieved by mixing a metal salt aqueous solution with preheated water fed from another line. The effects of temperature, pressure, and initial concentration of solution on the particle size, morphology, and crystal structure of the metal (hydrous) oxides were examined. These properties are strongly affected by slight changes in pressure and temperature. This strong effect is attributed to the large changes in the properties of water near its critical point resulting from the slight changes in pressure and temperature. The results suggest the simultaneous control of size, crystal structure, and morphology of the particles by hydrothermal synthesis in supercritical water.     

Electrolyte properties of 1-alkyl-2,3,5-trimethylpyrazolium cation-based room-temperature ionic liquids for lithium secondary batteries

The physicochemical and electrochemical properties of three 1-alkyl-2,3,5-trimethylpyrazolium cation-based room-temperature ionic liquids with various alkyl chain lengths were investigated. The temperature dependences of density, viscosity, and ionic conductivity were obtained by precise measurements. Electrolyte properties of these room-temperature ionic liquids were also examined from the viewpoint of their uses in lithium secondary batteries ([LiCoO₂ positive electrode|electrolyte|lithium metal negative electrode]). It was found that the alkyl chain length affects the charge–discharge performances of cells.     

Abscopal Effect of Frozen Autograft Reconstruction Combined with an Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Analyzed Using a Metastatic Bone Tumor Model

We evaluated the abscopal effect of re-implantation of liquid nitrogen-treated tumor-bearing bone grafts and the synergistic effect of anti-PD-1 (programmed death-1) therapy using a bone metastasis model, created by injecting MMT-060562 cells into the bilateral tibiae of 6–8-week-old female C3H mice. After 2 weeks, the lateral tumors were treated by excision, cryotreatment using liquid nitrogen, excision with anti-PD-1 treatment, and cryotreatment with anti-PD-1 treatment. Anti-mouse PD-1 4H2 was injected on days 1, 6, 12, and 18 post-treatment. The mice were euthanized after 3 weeks; the abscopal effect was evaluated by focusing on growth inhibition of the abscopal tumor. The re-implantation of frozen autografts significantly inhibited the growth of the remaining abscopal tumors. However, a more potent abscopal effect was observed in the anti-PD-1 antibody group. The number of CD8+ T cells infiltrating the abscopal tumor and tumor-specific interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-producing spleen cells increased in the liquid nitrogen-treated group compared with those in the excision group, with no significant difference. The number was significantly higher in the anti-PD-1 antibody-treated group than in the non-treated group. Overall, re-implantation of tumor-bearing frozen autograft has an abscopal effect on abscopal tumor growth, although re-implantation of liquid nitrogen-treated bone grafts did not induce a strong T-cell response or tumor-suppressive effect.     

Nickel-free stainless steel avoids neointima formation following coronary stent implantation

SUS316L stainless steel and cobalt–chromium and platinum–chromium alloys are widely used platforms for coronary stents. These alloys also contain nickel (Ni), which reportedly induces allergic reactions in some subjects and is known to have various cellular effects. The effects of Ni on neointima formation after stent implantation remain unknown, however. We developed coronary stents made of Ni-free high-nitrogen austenitic stainless steel prepared using a N₂-gas pressurized electroslag remelting (P-ESR) process. Neointima formation and inflammatory responses following stent implantation in porcine coronary arteries were then compared between the Ni-free and SUS316L stainless steel stents. We found significantly less neointima formation and inflammation in arteries implanted with Ni-free stents, as compared to SUS316L stents. Notably, Ni²⁺ was eluted into the medium from SUS316L but not from Ni-free stainless steel. Mechanistically, Ni²⁺ increased levels of hypoxia inducible factor protein-1α (HIF-1α) and its target genes in cultured smooth muscle cells. HIF-1α and their target gene levels were also increased in the vascular wall at SUS316L stent sites but not at Ni-free stent sites. The Ni-free stainless steel coronary stent reduces neointima formation, in part by avoiding activation of inflammatory processes via the Ni-HIF pathway. The Ni-free-stainless steel stent is a promising new coronary stent platform.     

Ring-opening polymerization of various oxirane derivatives using organotin phosphate condensate; Selective synthesis of the polyether containing oxirane ring in the side chain

Ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of various oxirane derivatives of the type, 2,2-R¹,R²-CCH₂O [R¹ = H (1), CH₃ (2); R² = CH₃ (a), CH₂Cl (b), CH₂OCH₃ (c)], using organotin phosphate (Bu₂SnO-Bu₃PO₄) condensate has been explored. The ROP of monosubstituted oxiranes (1a-c) afforded ring-opened polymers in high yields (1a, 1c = 99% and 1b = 69%); the resultant polymers from monomers 1a and 1b possessed high molecular weights (M_n = 9.49 × 10⁴, 10.60 × 10⁴, respectively). In contrast, both polymer yields and molecular weights for resultant polymers in the polymerization of disubstituted oxiranes (2a-c) were considerably lower than those in the polymerization of monosubstituted monomers (1a-c). ROP of glycidyl 2-methylglycidyl ether (3) possessing two oxirane groups with different reactivity was thus conducted by organotin catalyst; the high molecular weight polyether (M_n = 9.17 × 10⁴) containing oxirane ring in the side chain has successfully been obtained in moderate yield.     

Reversible change in the optical rotatory power of poly(L-glutamate) thin film induced by photochromism of a spiropyran

Summary When the thin film of poly(L-glutamate) containing 6-nitroindolinospiropyran was exposed to uv light(mainly 365nm), measurable change in the optical rotatory power was observed, accompanied with the coloration due to the formation of the photo-merocyanine. The change was reversible upon exposure to visible light(>480nm). The extent of the reversible change of the optical rotatory power was found to depend on the concentration of the spiropyran as well as casting concentration. Discussion was made on the mechanism of the appearance of the optical rotatory power.