Systematic packaging design tools integrating functional and environmental consequences on product life cycle: Case studies on laundry detergent and milk

This study presents systematic packaging design tools integrating functional and environmental consequences on product life cycle. To design packaging for sustainability, the trade-offs between functional and environmental aspects of packaging throughout the product life cycle should be considered. However, it is difficult for packaging designers to understand the overall trade-offs because the extent of the design consequences on the entire life cycle of packaging and its contents is unclear. We developed two tools for packaging design: the Life Cycle Association Matrix (LCAM) and the Function Network Diagram (FND). The following three steps, based on literature reviews and interviews with industrial experts, were applied. Firstly, we listed the product functions and design variables related to the functions as the attributes allocated to the product life cycle. Secondly, the attributes were connected appropriately based on causal relationships. Lastly, we identified the factors to support decision making in the packaging design procedure. As a result, the LCAM depicts the design consequences on the life cycle, and the FND determines the stakeholders affected by the design consequences. Two case studies were demonstrated to analyze the trade-offs by using our tools. In the case studies, a liquid laundry detergent bottle and a milk carton were redesigned. The tools identified the design consequences and stakeholders affected by the redesign of the usability and protective function for the detergent and milk cases, respectively. The results showed the significance of understanding the design consequences on the product life cycle by integrating the functional and environmental aspects.     

Current Understanding of the Structure,Stability and Dynamic Properties of Amyloid Fibrils

Amyloid fibrils are supramolecular protein assemblies represented by a cross-β structure and fibrous morphology, whose structural architecture has been previously investigated. While amyloid fibrils are basically a main-chain-dominated structure consisting of a backbone of hydrogen bonds, side-chain interactions also play an important role in determining their detailed structures and physicochemical properties. In amyloid fibrils comprising short peptide segments, a steric zipper where a pair of β-sheets with side chains interdigitate tightly is found as a fundamental motif. In amyloid fibrils comprising longer polypeptides, each polypeptide chain folds into a planar structure composed of several β-strands linked by turns or loops, and the steric zippers are formed locally to stabilize the structure. Multiple segments capable of forming steric zippers are contained within a single protein molecule in many cases, and polymorphism appears as a result of the diverse regions and counterparts of the steric zippers. Furthermore, the β-solenoid structure, where the polypeptide chain folds in a solenoid shape with side chains packed inside, is recognized as another important amyloid motif. While side-chain interactions are primarily achieved by non-polar residues in disease-related amyloid fibrils, the participation of hydrophilic and charged residues is prominent in functional amyloids, which often leads to spatiotemporally controlled fibrillation, high reversibility, and the formation of labile amyloids with kinked backbone topology. Achieving precise control of the side-chain interactions within amyloid structures will open up a new horizon for designing useful amyloid-based nanomaterials.     

Antitumor activity of synthetic alkylphospholipids with or without PAF activity

1-O-Octadecyl-2-O-methyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (ET-18-OMe) has been reported to possess definite antitumor activity in vivo. Twenty-two alkyl lysophospholipid analogs were chemically synthesized, and their antitumor activity against mouse experimental tumors (Sarcoma 180, MM46, P388) was examined. Among them, 1-O-octadecyl-2-O-acetoacetyl-rac-glycerol-3-phosphocholine was found to show antitumor activity similar to ET-18-OMe with less acute toxicity. Intravenous injection of the ET-18-OMe withsn-3 configuration retarded the subcutaneous growth of Sarcoma 180 cells effectively, while the growth inhibition by thesn-1 isomer was much less effective. This stereospecificity was similar to that observed in their activities as platelet-activating factor (PAF) agonists. The acetoacetyl compound, another PAF agonist, showed similar stereospecific antitumor action in vivo. These findings suggest that some alkyl lysophospholipids may activate host cells to a cytostatic stage against tumor cells in vivo through binding to a PAF receptor. Our preliminary results indicated that the responsible cells under these conditions might be primarily immature macrophages present in the bone marrow. No appreciable or even adverse stereospecificity was observed in the different sets of experiments where the activity of ET-18-OMe against MM46 tumor cells in vivo or the direct cytotoxicity against human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells in vitro was examined. Under, some conditions, the antitumor activity of ET-18-OMe in vivo may be revealed through direct cytotoxicity and/or modulation of the host defense system by “nonspecific” mechanisms. Some alkylphospholipids without PAF activity may also show antitumor activity through similar, “nonspecific” mechanisms.     

Generalized measuring-worm algorithm: high-accuracy mapping and movement via cooperating swarm robots

Recently, many extensive studies have been conducted on robot control via self-positioning estimation techniques. In the simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) method, which is one approach to self-positioning estimation, robots generally use both autonomous position information from internal sensors and observed information on external landmarks. SLAM can yield higher accuracy positioning estimations depending on the number of landmarks; however, this technique involves a degree of uncertainty and has a high computational cost, because it utilizes image processing to detect and recognize landmarks. To overcome this problem, we propose a state-of-the-art method called a generalized measuring-worm (GMW) algorithm for map creation and position estimation, which uses multiple cooperating robots that serve as moving landmarks for each other. This approach allows problems of uncertainty and computational cost to be overcome, because a robot must find only a simple two-dimensional marker rather than feature-point landmarks. In the GMW method, the robots are given a two-dimensional marker of known shape and size and use a front-positioned camera to determine the marker distance and direction. The robots use this information to estimate each other’s positions and to calibrate their movement. To evaluate the proposed method experimentally, we fabricated two real robots and observed their behavior in an indoor environment. The experimental results revealed that the distance measurement and control error could be reduced to less than 3 %.     

The effects of amino-acid mutations on specific interactions between urokinase-type plasminogen activator and its receptor: Ab initio molecular orbital calculations

During cancer invasion, the binding of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) to its receptor (uPAR) on the surface of a cancer cell is considered a trigger for invasion. Here, we present a stable structure of the solvated complex formed between uPA and uPAR (uPA-uPAR) and investigate the specific interactions between uPA and uPAR by ab initio fragment molecular orbital (FMO) calculations. The result indicates that the electrostatic interactions between the charged amino acid residues existing in both uPA and uPAR make a large contribution to the binding between uPA and uPAR. In particular, Lys23, Lys46, Lys98 and Lys61 of uPA are found to have strong attractive interactions with uPAR. To elucidate the effect of these residues on the interactions between uPA and uPAR, we substituted each of them with the uncharged amino acid Leu and investigated the interactions between the mutated uPA and wild-type uPAR. The interaction energies indicate that Lys46 and Lys98, which bind uPA to the rim of the central ligand-binding cavity of uPAR, make greater contributions to the binding between uPA and uPAR than Lys23, which is positioned at the bottom of the ligand-binding cavity of uPAR. The effect of hydrating water molecules located between uPA and uPAR is also investigated to be significant for the specific interactions between uPA and uPAR. These results are expected to be informative for developing new peptide antagonists that block the binding of uPA to uPAR.     

Local dimming light‐guiding plate type backlight system using alignment‐controlled polymer‐dispersed liquid crystals

A new technology which enables a local brightness control according to the displayed images has been expected in the thin and lightweight backlight systems to improve a contrast ratio and power consumption of the liquid crystal displays (LCDs). In this paper, we have proposed a novel local‐dimming backlight system using alignment‐controlled polymer‐dispersed liquid crystals as a light‐guiding plate and investigated the forming conditions of polymer‐dispersed liquid crystals to achieve both a high‐luminance ratio and a fast response speed. As a result, we found that a luminance ratio and response speed of the backlight system can be improved by using bifunctional LC monomer materials and forming fine and rigid polymer network in the LCs, and achieved high luminance ratio of 16:1 and fast response time less than 0.5 ms. In addition, we fabricated the twisted nematic‐mode LCD using the local dimming light‐guiding plate‐type backlight based on this design, and successfully realized eight times higher contrast ratio than that of the traditional twisted nematic‐mode LCD.     

Wind Force Coefficients for Designing Porous Canopy Roofs

Wind force coefficients for designing porous canopy roofs have been investigated based on a series of wind tunnel experiments. Gable, troughed and mono-sloped roofs were tested. The roof models were made of 0.5 mm thick perforated duralumin plates, the porosity of which was changed from 0 to about 0.4. Overall aerodynamic forces and moments acting on the roof model were measured in a turbulent boundary layer with a six-component force balance for various wind directions. The results indicate that the wind loads on canopy roofs generally decrease with an increase in porosity of the roof. Assuming that the roof is rigid and supported by the four corner columns with no walls, the axial forces induced in the columns are regarded as the most important load effect for discussing the design wind loads. Two loading patterns causing the maximum tension and compression in the columns are considered. Based on a combination of the lift and moment coefficients, the design wind force coefficients on the windward and leeward halves of the roof are presented for the two loading patterns as a function of the roof pitch and porosity. The effect of porosity is taken into account as a reduction factor of the wind loads.     

The Reaction of Alkynes with Model Gold Catalysts: Generation of Acetylides,Self-coupling and Surface Decomposition

Catalysis Letters - Alkynes are one of the most important groups of building blocks in organic chemistry as they work as nucleophiles upon deprotonation of its acidic hydrogen. On the surface of a...