Doping effect on sinterability of polycrystalline yttria: From the viewpoint of cation diffusivity

The sintering behavior of Y₂O₃ doped with 1 mol% of a trivalent or tetravalent cation was investigated by pressureless sintering in air. Ga³⁺ or Ge⁴⁺-doped Y₂O₃ bodies exhibited higher relative densities than the undoped Y₂O₃, while the La³⁺ or Zr⁴⁺-doping suppressed the densification of Y₂O₃. An interdiffusion experiment was performed on the diffusion couples of polycrystalline Er₂O₃ and Y₂O₃ doped with Ni²⁺ or Zr⁴⁺, which are some of the most effective and least effective dopants for the improvement of the sinterability, respectively. The lattice and grain boundary diffusion coefficients of the Er³⁺ cation in Y₂O₃ were increased by the Ni²⁺-doping, but were decreased by the Zr⁴⁺-doping. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy observations and nano-probe X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy analyses confirmed that the dopant cations segregate along the grain boundaries without forming an amorphous phase. The doping effect on the sinterability of Y₂O₃ must result from the change in the diffusivity in Y₂O₃.     

Synthesis of Succinic Gemini Surfactants and the Effect of Stereochemistry on Their Monolayer Behaviors

In this work, succinic gemini surfactants, dl‐ and meso‐2,3‐bis(alkyl)succinic acids (alkyl: C₆H₁₃–C₁₃H₂₇), were successfully synthesized by oxidative coupling of enolates of fatty acid tert‐butyl esters with copper(II) bromide followed by treatment with CF₃COOH. Focusing on the influence of stereochemistry (dl‐ and meso‐) of succinic geminis, their monolayer behaviors at the air–water interface were explored using surface pressure–area (Π–A) isotherms, the compression modulus of monolayers (ε_s), and Brewster angle microscope (BAM) analysis. meso‐2,3‐Bis(undecyl)succinic acid showed a unique isotherm where the surface pressure drastically decreased at A = ~0.56 nm² (Π = 21.9 mN m^?1) regardless of compression rates and subphase temperatures, while dl‐isomer showed the common isotherm of gas → liquid‐expanded → liquid‐condensed phase transitions. BAM analysis on meso‐2,3‐bis(undecyl)succinic acid films at the air–water interface showed that small islands of aggregates appear just after the maximum pressure (A = ~0.56 nm²), and on further compression needle‐shaped assemblies appear that can grow in size. It was reasonably concluded that hydrophobic interactions can operate more effectively in meso‐isomers than in dl‐isomers, and that meso‐molecules can “jump up” to cause a transition from monolayer to bilayer. This is the first finding of the “jumping‐up” phenomenon of gemini surfactants having meso‐stereochemistry.     

Osteogenic activity of human periosteal sheets cultured on salmon collagen-coated ePTFE meshes

Our animal implantation studies have demonstrated that, after osteogenic processing, cultured human periosteal sheets form osteoid tissue ectopically without the aid of conventional scaffolding materials. To improve the osteogenic activity of these periosteal sheets, we have tested the effects of including a scaffold made of salmon collagen-coated ePTFE mesh. Periosteal sheets were produced with minimal manipulation without enzymatic digestion. Outgrown cells penetrated into the coated mesh fiber networks to form complex multicellular layers and increased expression of alkaline phosphatase activity in response to the osteoinduction. In vitro mineralization was notably enhanced in the original tissue segment regions, but numerous micro-mineral deposits were also formed on the coated-fiber networks. When implanted subcutaneously into nude mice, periosteal sheets efficiently form osteoid around the mineral deposits. These findings suggest that the intricate three-dimensional mesh composed of collagen-coated fibers substantially augmented the osteogenic activity of human periosteal sheets both in vitro and in vivo.     

Reduction of apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease expression after transient global cerebral ischemia in rats: implication of the failure of DNA repair in neuronal apoptosis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To clarify the relationship between apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease (APE/Ref-1), a multifunctional protein in the DNA base excision repair pathway, and delayed neuronal cell death associated with apoptosis, we examined the expression of APE/Ref-1 before and after transient global ischemia in rats. METHODS: Global ischemia was induced by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion and hypotension. Expression of the APE/Ref-1 protein was evaluated by Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses. Apoptosis after global ischemia was observed by DNA electrophoresis and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated uridine 5'-triphosphate-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry showed the nuclear expression of APE/Ref-1 in the control brains. Nuclear immunoreactivity of APE/Ref-1 was significantly decreased 2 days after 10 minutes of ischemia in the hippocampal CA1 subregion. Western blot analysis of a sample from the normal brains showed a characteristic 37-kDa band, which was reduced in the hippocampal CA1 subregion after ischemia. A significant amount of DNA fragmentation was observed at 3 days but not at 1 day after ischemia. Double staining with APE/Ref-1 and TUNEL clearly showed that the neurons that lost APE/Ref-1 immunoreactivity became TUNEL positive. CONCLUSIONS: Our data provide evidence that APE/Ref-1 decreased in hippocampal CA1 neurons after transient global ischemia and that this reduction precedes DNA fragmentation, which is destined to cause apoptosis. Our results suggest the possibility that a decrease of APE/Ref-1 activity and the failure of DNA repair may underlie the mechanism of apoptosis after transient focal ischemia.     

Turbulent natural convection heat transfer from a vertical plate to the power-law fluid at high prandtl numbers

A simple analytical technique for turbulent natural convection heat transfer from an isothermal vertical plate to a power-law fluid is developed. The model is based on the assumption that the turbulent heat transfer rate is controlled by the flow characteristic near the surface in the limit of large Prandtl numbers. The formulation proposed in this work agrees well with the correlations available in the literature.     

APPLICATION OF THE ENERGY DISSIPATION RATE CONCEPT TO NATURAL CONVECTION HEAT TRANSFER

A new model for turbulent natural convection heat transfer from an isothermal vertical plate is developed. It is based on a unified energy dissipation rate concept originally proposed by Calderbank and Moo-Young (Chem. Eng. Sci., 16, 39-54 (1961)). The proposed model is developed to include non-Newtonian flow behaviors. The predictions of the model are compared with published experimental and theoretical results. Satisfactory agreement is found and therefore the applicability of the energy dissipation rate concept to natural convection is confirmed.     

LIQUID-PHASE MASS TRANSFER COEFFICIENT IN SLURRY BUBBLE COLUMN REACTORS: THEORY AND EXPERIMENTAL DATA IN SIMULATED FERMENTATION MEDIA

Mass transfer in a slurry bubble column reactor was examined. A theoretical correlation for liquid-phase mass transfer coefficient was developed using a combination of Higbie's penetration theory and the Einstein-Li periodic viscous sublayer model. The proposed correlation predicts that the liquid-phase mass transfer coefficient decreases with an increase of the yield stress of slurries. The measurement of mass transfer rates was conducted in a 40-L bubble column reactor. The slurries containing low-density particles were simulated by aqueous carboxypolmethylene solutions. Satisfactory agreement was found between the proposed correlation and the experimental data.