Effects of a binder on properties of taeniolite-acriflavine complex films before and after carbonization

Taeniolite-acriflavine complex films (about 10 m in thickness) with less than 2 wt % of aluminium phosphate binder were prepared, followed by heat treatment (carbonization) below 1073 K under nitrogen in order to examine the effects of the binder on properties of the films. The results obtained are as follows.(1) The binder made the film more dense without structural change on X-ray diffraction analysis. (2) The tensile strength of the film, especially after heating to high temperature, was improved by adding the binder. (3) The modulus of toughness was scarcely influenced by the binder. (4) No change was observed in the electric resistivity by adding the binder.     

Optical scanning system for light-absorption measurement of deep biological tissue

A noncontact near-infrared scanning system for multi-distance absorption measurement of deep biological tissue was developed. An 808-nm laser, whose focal point on the surface of biological tissue is controlled by a galvano scanner, is used as a light source. A phosphor is placed at a detection focal point on the tissue surface. The light that propagates through tissue and exits from the tissue surface beneath the phosphor excites the phosphor. The fluorescence emitted from the phosphor is detected by an avalanche photodiode. The system is used to measure 20 points on tissue surface at which source-detector (S-D) distances are 7-45 mm (with 2-mm intervals). Neither the light source nor the detector contacts the tissue surface. The system was validated by using it to measure the absorption change of an absorber (which is embedded in a deep layer of a tissue-simulating phantom) while the surface-layer thickness of the phantom was changed from 1 to 12 mm. It was demonstrated that both the relative absorption change of the absorber and the absolute thickness of the surface layer can be estimated from the measured optical-density change (ΔOD) and the dependence of ΔOD on S-D distance, respectively.     

Catalytic oxidation of solid carbon and carbon monoxide over cerium‐zirconium mixed oxides

A series of cerium‐zirconium mixed oxides was prepared and evaluated in the catalytic oxidation of solid coke with 10 vol % O₂ in He at 673 K using a thermogravimetric analyzer. The measured first order rate constant for coke oxidation was proportional to the catalyst loading when the mass ratio of catalyst to coke was low, which enabled the calculation of a surface area specific reaction rate. The validity of the normalization method was confirmed by performing CO oxidation over the cerium‐zirconium mixed oxides in a fixed bed reactor at 573 K. Although there was no correlation between the coke oxidation rate and the oxygen storage capacity or the reducibility of the catalysts, there was an excellent correlation to the CO oxidation rate. Kinetic studies of both coke and CO oxidation suggested an important role of surface lattice oxygen from the catalyst in the two reactions. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 725–738, 2017     

Prowling autonomous mobile robot with a network camera

This research aimed to develop an autonomous mobile robot that helps various kinds of people. The evasion of obstacles is absolutely imperative so that the robot can act in a human-life environment. Therefore, we developed a robot that moves through doors and avoids obstacles with the help of images taken by a camera set on the robot. This work was presented in part at the 13th International Symposium on Artifical Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 31–February 2, 2008     

A novel tumor-related protein, C7orf24, identified by proteome differential display of bladder urothelial carcinoma

Proteome analysis of bladder cancer with narrow-range pH 2-DE has identified a novel protein on chromosome 7 encoded by ORF 24 (C7orf24) as one of the highly expressed proteins in cancer cells. C7orf24 is currently registered in the protein database as a hypothetical protein with unknown function. The homologs of C7orf24 in other animals have also been registered as putative protein genes. Western blot analysis using a mAb against C7orf24 confirmed its higher expression in bladder cancer compared with normal tissue. Several other cancer cell lines were also found to express C7orf24. However, the introduction of C7orf24 into Rat-1 or NIH3T3 cells did not cause malignant transformation. A stable transfectant of NIH3T3 cells with recombinant retrovirus vector was produced for a growth rate assay, and a higher growth rate was observed in C7orf24-expressing cells compared with the controls. Six kinds of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were then produced, and C7orf24-siRNA#5 showed a strong knockdown effect on protein expression and significant antiproliferative effects on cancer cell lines were demonstrated by the MTT assay. Therefore, C7orf24 may have an important role in cancer cell proliferation, and may be an appropriate therapeutic target molecule against cancer.     

Relations between molecular mixing state and conductive property in blends composed of polyaniline and aliphatic copolymer having acid groups

Blend films composed of polyaniline and aliphatic copolymer having carboxylic acid groups were prepared by vaporizing a solvent from a solution of both polymers. Poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐methacrylic acid) and poly(1‐vinylpyrrolidone‐co‐acrylic acid) were used as the copolymers in this work. Conductivity of the blend film increased with decreasing concentration of polyaniline and then decreased in the region of low concentration. The N_1s peak in the ESCA spectrum of the blend film was shifted to higher binding energy with decreasing concentration of polyaniline and then was done to lower the binding energy in the region of low concentration. Polyaniline chains in the blend films become conductive by being oxidized with the carboxylic acid groups, which are the constituents of the copolymers. Through strong intermolecular interactions such as ionic bonding and hydrogen bonding between polyaniline and the copolymer, densities of the blend films are always higher than those predicted on the basis of the additive law. Blend films with higher density and higher conductivity are able to be prepared with a higher vaporizing rate, given that phase separation occurring during vaporizing process can be depressed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 1113–1117, 2002     

Dynamics and control of an activated sludge process as a mixed culture system

One of the difficulties encountered in the operation of an activated sludge process is the phenomenon of bulking sludge. In an activated sludge process which is composed of a completely mixed aeration tank and a sedimentation vessel, the dynamic behavior of the system can be analyzed using a mathematical model. The model developed here is based on the kinetics and settleability of the combination of floc-forming sludge and bulking sludge. The operating conditions that cause the bulking phenomenon are clarified on the phase plane. It is also shown that a type of nonlinear state feedback regulator makes the system stable.     

Ethylene/propylene/5-ethylidene-2-norbornene

Summary Ethylene/propylene/5-ethylidene-2-norbornene(ENB) terpolymerization was carried out with a highly active Ti catalyst system(MgCl₂/TiCl₄/C₆H₅COOC₂H₅ (EB) — AliBu₃/di-iso-amyl ether (IAE)). The obtained terpolymer could be vulcanized with sulfur, but the increase of torque value through the vulcanization measured by curelastometer for the terpolymer obtained with this catalyst was considerably lower than that for the terpolymer obtained with the conventional VOCl₃ catalyst system. It was suggested that lower torque value would be attributed to the heterogeneous diene distribution in the obtained terpolymer, particularly lower ENB content in the high molecular weight fraction.     

Preparation of Dense BaTiO3 Ceramics from Sol-Gel-Derived Monolithic Gels

Dense, small-grained BaTiO₃ ceramics, with a grain size around 1 μm and a relative sintered density >98%, were obtained at 1100°C from sol-gel-derived gel monoliths without using any sintering additives. The monolithic gels asprepared had a relative density of about 50% and consisted of ultrafine pseudo-cubic BaTiO₃ particles (<50 nm). These gels, with a significantly high density compared with that of previous ones (∼30%), have been synthesized at room temperature from a sol solution with a concentration of equimolar mixture of titanium isopropoxide and barium ethoxide (0.8 mol/L), using the methanol/2-methoxyethanol mixed-solvent system. Microstructural development of the gel monoliths with increasing sintering temperature and the dielectric properties of the obtained dense BaTiO₃ ceramic have been investigated.     

Sequential method in propositional dynamic logic

Summary Recently prepositional modal logic of programs, called prepositional dynamic logic, has been developed by many authors, following the ideas of Fisher and Ladner [1] and Pratt [12]. The main purpose of this paper is to present a Gentzen-type sequential formulation of this logic and to establish its semantical completeness with due regard to sequential formulation as such. In a sense our sequential formulation might be regarded as a powerful tool to establish the completeness theorem of already familiar axiomatizations of prepositional dynamic logic such as seen in Harel [4], Parikh [11] or Segerberg [15]. Indeed our method is powerful enough in completeness proof to yield a desired structure directly without making a detour through such intermediate constructs as a pseudomodel or a nonstandard structure, which can be seen in Parikh [11]. We also show that our sequential system of prepositional dynamic logic does not enjoy the so-called cut-elimination theorem.