Two‐phase flow behavior in microtube reactors during biodiesel production from waste cooking oil

Flow patterns in the course of transesterification of waste cooking oil (WCO), sunflower oil (SFO) with water and/or oleic acid as a model of WCO, and pure SFO in the presence of a KOH catalyst in microtubes were investigated. FAME yield for the transesterification of WCO reached more than 89% in the microtube reactors with a residence time of 252 s at 333 K. The flow patterns when using WCO were changed from a liquid–liquid slug flow at the inlet region to a parallel flow at the middle region, and then to a homogeneous liquid flow at the outlet region as the reaction proceeded at 333 K. Fine droplets containing glycerol and methanol generally formed in oil slugs when using pure SFO, but were almost unobservable when using WCO. The soap produced from free fatty acids was considered to be the main factor affecting the flow patterns of WCO and SFO. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010     

The effects of di-D-fructofuranose-1,2':2,3'-dianhydride (DFA III) administration on human intestinal microbiota

Di-D-fructofuranose-1,2':2,3'-dianhydride (DFA III) was shown to enhance Ca absorption in rat and human intestine. The effects of DFA III administration (9 g per day for 4 weeks that corresponded to 3-fold the optimal dosage of DFA III) on human intestinal microbiota were studied using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The major groups of human intestinal microbiota reported previously: the Bacteroides, the Clostridium coccoides group (Clostridium cluster XIVa), the Clostridium leptum group (Clostridium cluster IV), and the Bifidobacterium group were detected. The similarity of 30 DGGE profiles based on the V3 region (before and after administration to the 15 subjects) of the 16S rDNA were calculated using Pearson's correlation based on numbers, positions and intensity of bands, and then a dendrogram of DGGE profiles was constructed by the unweighted pair group method using arithmetic average (UPGMA) clustering method. By these analyses, no difference in DGGE profiles after DFA III administration was observed in healthy subjects, while two subjects with chronic constipation showed different profiles, namely on numbers, positions and the intensity of some bands. Their stools were softer and stool frequencies increased and they obtained relief from constipation.     

An evaluation method of the fluctuation characteristics of photovoltaic systems by using frequency analysis

Short-time fluctuations in solar irradiance will become an important issue with regard to future embedded photovoltaic (PV) systems. However, when PV systems are intensively installed, fluctuation of total output in clustered PV systems is not remarkable because there is the smoothing effect of irradiance in certain areas. In this paper, a new estimation method of irradiance fluctuation, which is based on the combination of the Fourier transform and the wavelet transform methods, is described.     

A Fail-safe Logic Operator Using an Insulated Planar Transformer

A fail-safe logic circuit must switch the output signal to the logical value “0” when an operation circuit fails. A transformer has such favorable characteristics for fail-safe logic circuits as only the magnetic flux change is transmitted and a superposition of magnetic flux is realized. Thus those characteristics arc applied to a failsafe logic operator. A new fail-safe logic operator using an insulated planar transformer was developed for a fail-safe majority operation and a fail-safe interlocking. In this paper, the principle, structure, design and fundamental characteristics of the new fail-safe logic operator are described.     

Process and kinetics of order-order transition from bcc-sphere to hex-cylinder in polystyrene-block-polyisoprene-block-polystyrene: Time-resolved SAXS and TEM studies

We have studied the process and kinetics of the order-order phase transition (OOT) from spheres in a body-centered-cubic lattice (bcc-sphere) to hexagonally packed cylindrical microdomains (hex-cylinder) for a polystyrene-block-polyisoprene-block-polystyrene triblock copolymer, induced by abrupt temperature drops. In this study, time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements are conducted to investigate the OOT processes in situ and at real time. Transmission electron microscopy observations for specimens rapidly frozen below the glass transition temperature at particular times in the OOT processes are also conducted to visualize the transient structures developed during the OOT. We elucidated the following pieces of evidence. (I) The OOT proceeds via the nucleation and growth process as follows: After quenching the specimen, the system stays at a bcc-sphere state in the incubation period, t_i. After this period, (II) anisotropic grains of hex-cylinder are nucleated at the vicinity of grain boundaries of bcc sphere. (III) The growth of the grains appears to be faster along the cylindrical axis than along the direction perpendicular to it, on the contrary to the growth of hex-cylinder from the disordered phase. The OOT involves deformation of spherical domains toward a [111] direction of a bcc lattice, followed by coalescence and connection of them to cylindrical microdomains. (IV) The rate of OOT as observed by time-resolved SAXS was found to depend on quench depth, ΔT (≡T_OOT−T_cyl)=4-10 K, or thermodynamic driving force for the OOT, ε (≡ΔT/T_OOT)=0.0087-0.0217, where T_OOT is the OOT temperature between hex-cylinder and bcc-sphere: The larger ΔT or ε is, the shorter t_i is and the faster the transformation rate, R_T, is after the incubation time. (V) Consequently, the time change of a characteristic parameter as observed by SAXS at various ΔTs fall on to a master curve when real time is reduced with t_i, revealing that the following two intriguing conclusions: (i) t_i and have the same temperature dependence, and hence the system has only single time scale, and (ii) the transformation after the incubation period starts only when the characteristic parameter reaches a temperature independent critical value.     

Potential estimation of hourly blank storage space and charge loads of EVs using road traffic census and vehicles status

If both EVs (Electric Vehicles, includes plug‐in hybrid electric vehicles) and renewable energies spread in large quantities, it is possible to control the supply fluctuation of renewable energies using the storage battery of EVs. This research sought to show the charge load potential of EVs based on the state of the Japanese passenger car using traffic census results, etc. Furthermore, it tried to show the trend of the storage battery capacity according to time. From the estimated results: (1) the charge electricity of low and middle distance gets a majority of the total charge demand, (2) charge load changes according to time several times, and the minimum load is the number of gigawatt‐hours at early morning, (3) if night charge is assumed, the standby charge demand of noon will reach tens of gigawatt‐hours, it may have sufficient scale for supply fluctuation control of PVs. Although the present EV is not suitable for long‐distance running, these are expected to be 30 or less percent of the total charge demand. The estimated storage capacity potential in this research will not change numbers of times. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 182(3): 30–38, 2013; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.22352     

Enhanced Hole‐Transporting Behavior of Discotic Liquid‐Crystalline Physical Gels

Discotic liquid‐crystalline (LC) physical gels have been prepared by combining the self‐assembled fibers of a low‐molecular‐weight gelator and semiconducting LC triphenylene derivatives. The hole mobilities of the discotic LC physical gels measured by a time‐of‐flight method become higher than those of LC triphenylenes alone. The introduction of the finely dispersed networks of the gelator in the hexagonal columnar phases may affect the molecular dynamics of the liquid crystals, resulting in the enhancement of hole transporting behavior in the LC gel state.     

Evaporative concentration of a microdroplet for highly sensitive detection of trace heavy metal ions in real samples

The influence of surface tension becomes more prominent as the device is miniaturized. We used this effect to enhance the detection sensitivity of trace heavy metal ions. A microelectrode array was formed along with a Ag/AgCl reference electrode and was surrounded by a super-hydrophobic layer formed with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) beads. When a droplet of a sample solution was placed on the sensing area, the super-hydrophobic layer repelled the solution and a spherical droplet was formed. The droplet shrank to the sensing area as the solution evaporated. Electrochemical preconcentration was then carried out with the concentrated solution. Three heavy metal ions (Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, and As³⁺) were analyzed by square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry. A significant increase in current peaks was observed by this novel method. When a 10-µL droplet was used, the detection limit was 600 ppt for Pb²⁺ and As³⁺ ions and 900 ppt for Cd²⁺ ions. Furthermore, the effect of the evaporative concentration was enhanced by increasing the volume of sample solution. We used this device for analysis of real samples. Correlation between the values obtained by this method and a conventional method was satisfactory with correlation coefficients of 0.982 (Pb²⁺), 0.969 (Cd²⁺), and 0.936 (As³⁺). Copyright © 2009 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

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.