Thermochemical hydrogen production by a redox system of ZrO2-supported Co(II)-ferrite

The thermochemical two-step water splitting was examined on ZrO₂-supported Co(II)-ferrites below 1400 °C, for purpose of converting solar high-temperature heat to clean hydrogen energy as storage and transport of solar energy. The ferrite on the ZrO₂-support was thermally decomposed to the reduced phase of wustite at 1400 °C under an inert atmosphere. The reduced phase was reoxidized with steam on the ZrO₂-support to generate hydrogen below 1000 °C in a separate step. The ZrO₂-supporting alleviated the high-temperature sintering of iron oxide. As the results, the ZrO₂-supported ferrite realized a greater reactivity and a better repeatability of the cyclic water splitting than the conventional unsupported ferrites. The Co_xFe_3−xO₄/ZrO₂ with the x value of around 0.4–0.7 was found to be the promising working material for the two-step water splitting when thermally reduced at 1400 °C under an inert atmosphere.     

Effects of bleaching variables on residual sulfite content of salted jelly-fish

Summary The effects of bleaching variables on the residual sulfite content of jelly-fish were evaluated. The primary factor that affects the residual sulfite content appears to be the concentration of sodium bisulfite used as bleaching agent. The use of sodium bisulfite of less than 300 mg/kg as SO₂ the legally regulated level (below 30 mg/kg as SO₂). The ratio of combined to total sulfite was not less than 90% regardless of the total sulfite content.

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Einflüsse von Bleichbedingungen auf den Sulfitgehalt der gesalzenen Qualle

Zusammenfassung Es wurden die Einflüsse von Bleichbedingungen auf den Sulfitgehalt der Qualle untersucht. Der primäre Faktor, der den bleibenden Sulfitgehalt der Qualle bewirkt, war die Konzentration von Natriumbisulfit. Der verbleibende Sulfitgehalt in der Qualle, die mit Natriumbisulfit von 100–300 mg/kg (als SO₂) gebleicht wurde, betrug weniger als 30 mg/kg. Das Verhältnis von gebundenem Sulfit zu Gesamtsulfit betrug 9:1.

     

Development of a Submillimeter Double-Ridged Waveguide Ortho-Mode Transducer (OMT) for the 385–500 GHz Band

We present design and evaluations of a submillimeter double-ridged waveguide ortho-mode transducer (OMT) for ALMA Band 8 (385–500 GHz) cartridge receiver. The measured transmission loss of the OMT at 4 K was 0.4–0.5 dB according to noise measurements with an SIS mixer. The polarization isolation was measured to be larger than 29 dB from quasioptical measurements. The OMT consists of a Bϕifot junction and a double-ridged guide. A robust design with allowable mechanical errors of 20 μm has been demonstrated.     

Auto-oxidation products of astaxanthin

The auto-oxidation products of astaxanthin were investigated. Astaxanthin was allowed to react with atmospheric oxygen at 55°C in the dark for 35 days. A series of oxidative cleavage products, 7-apoastaxanthinal (1), 9-apoastaxanthinone (2), 11-apoastaxanthinal (3), 13-apoastaxanthinone (4), 15-apoastaxanthinal (5), 14'-apoastaxanthinal (6), 12'-apoastaxanthinal (7), 10'-apoastaxanthinal (8), and 8'-apoastaxanthinal (9), were identified. Among them, 3 and 6 were isolated and characterized for the first time. Cleavage of the double bond in astaxanthin was discussed on the basis of the calculation of the stable molecular energy.     

Inhibitory effect of progesterone on androgen-induced lordosis in ovariectomized rats

The role of family history as a risk factor of coronary heart disease was explored in the first-degree relatives of 121 female and 586 male survivors of a recent acute myocardial infarction and in those of 130 control women. It was significantly more common for female patients than male patients to have first-degree relatives with coronary artery disease before the age of 65 (76% vs 62%, P = 0.0026). For the sisters of the female patients the cumulative risk of coronary heart disease by the age of 65 years was almost twice that of the sisters of the male patients (25.9% vs 15.8%, P = 0.0123). The risk for the brothers of the females did not significantly differ from that of the brothers of the male patients, but it was 3.5 times that of the brothers of the controls. Thus, while a history of coronary heart disease in first-degree relatives is a risk factor for the disease, the risk is greater in women than in men.     

Dieless incremental micro-forming of miniature shell objects of aluminum foils

Single-point incremental forming of thin aluminum foils, which did not require any die and any backing plate, was developed for fabricating customized parts of thin shell miniature objects. Thin aluminum foils were deformed incrementally using a round-tip single point tool on a desktop type of milling machine controlled with a personal computer. It was found that an aluminum foil 12 μm thick was much smaller in forming limit than an aluminum foil 50 μm thick when a single point tool with a tip radius of 0.5 mm was not rotated, but its forming limit was improved greatly by rotating the tool up to 20,000 rpm. Measured forming forces revealed that the tool rotation decreases the in-plane forces by approximately 50%. Hydrodynamic lubrication at the interface between a rotating tool and aluminum foil must have had a direct and favorable influence on the forming process, while increasing the forming limit of the thinner foil. It was also found that the optimum stepwise axial feed was found to be around the value of foil thickness. Then, incremental forming of arrays of dots 0.1 mm in diameter, miniature pyramids, a miniature car and miniature letters was performed successfully under the optimized conditions at arbitrary positions of 12-μm-thick foils.     

Observation of Amplified Stimulated Terahertz Emission from Optically Pumped Heteroepitaxial Graphene-on-Silicon Materials

We experimentally observed the fast relaxation and relatively slow recombination dynamics of photogenerated electrons/holes in a heteroepitaxial graphene-on-Si material under pumping with a 1550-nm, 80-fs pulsed fiber laser and probing with the corresponding terahertz beam generated by and synchronized with the pumping laser. The time-resolved electric-nearfield intensity originating from the coherent terahertz photon emission is electrooptically sampled in total-reflection geometry. The Fourier spectrum fairly agrees the product of the negative dynamic conductivity and the expected THz photon spectrum reflecting the pumping photon spectrum. This phenomenon is interpreted as an amplified stimulated terahertz emission.     

High incidence of diabetic nephropathy in early-onset Japanese NIDDM patients. Risk analysis

OBJECTIVE: Because early-onset Japanese NIDDM patients (diagnosed before age 30 years) can develop diabetic end-stage renal failure (ESRF) in their thirties, this study was performed to elucidate the incidence and determinants for the development of diabetic nephropathy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The incidence of diabetic nephropathy and its relationship to baseline characteristics and long-term metabolic control were determined in 426 early-onset Japanese NIDDM patients who were followed for a mean of 6.8 years. RESULTS: Of these 426 patients, 41 developed diabetic nephropathy manifested by persistent proteinuria (incidence rate [95%CI]/1,000 person-years; 14.1 [10.4-19.1]). Among patients whose mean HbA1c (measured by a high-performance chromatography method that is standardized and comparable to the one used in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial study) was around 7% or less, few developed nephropathy. The incidence of nephropathy increased with increasing mean HbA1c level in a dose-dependent manner (chi 2 trend = 49.9, P < 0.0001). Diastolic blood pressure and duration of diabetes at entry had significant predictive effects independent of metabolic control. CONCLUSIONS:The incidence rate of diabetic nephropathy in early-onset Japanese NIDDM patients is potentially high, similar to or higher than that in Pima Indian NIDDM or Caucasian IDDM patients of comparable age. Diabetic nephropathy in NIDDM patients aged in their thirties or forties is likely to be an early feature that leads to ESRF, and this would contribute to the marked increase in the number of new patients with diabetic ESRF in Japan. NIDDM is a serious disease if near-normal glycemia is not achieved.     

Epitaxial growth of ferromagnetic CrO2 films in air

Epitaxial growth of CrO₂ films under atmospheric pressure has been investigated. Single crystal films of CrO₂ were obtained by the thermal decomposition of gaseous CrO₃ onto the substrates of rutile single crystals in air. The optimum temperature of the substrate for the pure CrO₂ epitaxial films was found to be 390°C. At the substrate temperature of 380°C, the obtained film included Cr₂O₅ as impurities, and Cr₂O₃ appeared at 400°C. Magnetic domain patterns of these films were observed by longitudinal Kerr effect. The growth patterns of domain were obtained with applied field.