Viscosity of liquid toluene in the temperature range 25–75°C

New accurate experimental data are presented for the viscosity of liquid toluene. The viscosity was measured relative to the viscosity of liquid water with the aid of an Ubbelohde capillary viscometer. The data cover a temperature range from approximately 25 to 75°C and are represented with high precision by an Arrhenius equation     

Voidage function in particular fluid systems

A correlation for the sedimentation velocity of suspended particles in a finite stationary fluid based on dynamic equilibrium of individual particles is presented.This correlation maybe useful over a wide range of Reynolds number and can be extended to obtain a general correlation predicting the pressure drop in fixed bed, provided that the voidage function is valid for all values of voidage.Results obtained were in good agreement with previous observations.     

Microwave-assisted dechlorination of polychlorobenzenes by hypophosphite anions in aqueous alkaline media in the presence of Pd-loaded active carbon

Microwave-assisted dechlorination of chlorobenzene and the three dichlorobenzenes takes place in the presence of the hypophosphite (NaH(2)PO(2)) reductant and Pd-loaded activated carbon (Pd/C) in alkaline media at relatively low temperatures. The extent of loss/dechlorination at 90 degrees C followed the order: o-DCB approximately m-DCB>CB>p-DCB. Detected final products were mostly benzene and phenol. Dechlorination of pentachlorobenzene (PeCB) through reduction was slight even when both NaH(2)PO(2) and Pd/C were simultaneously employed in the absence of NaOH, nor when NaH(2)PO(2) alone was present in excess. The generated HCl proved to be an inhibitor, thus the need for the presence of NaOH to enhance dechlorination. Conventional heating of the reacting mixture above 90 degrees C to a reaction temperature of 180 degrees C led to no further dechlorination of the PeCB. Intermediate products of dechlorination of PeCP were the tetrachlorobenzenes with final products being benzene and phenol (GC-FID spectral analyses). Both salicylic acid (a constituent of humic acid) and l(+)-ascorbic acid used as possible promoters proved to be rather ineffective. The simultaneous presence of NaH(2)PO(2), Pd-loaded activated carbon and NaOH was crucial in the dechlorination of PeCB by microwave dielectric heating with maximal reduction of PeCB being ca. 75% under these conditions.     

Production of anti-prion scFv-Fc fusion proteins by recombinant animal cells

We constructed a replication-defective retroviral vector plasmid for the expression of a single-chain antibody fragment (scFv), derived from a chicken anti-human prion protein monoclonal antibody, fused with the Fc region of human IgG1. CHO-K1 and NS-1 cells were transformed with the viral vector pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus G protein (VSV-G), and scFv-Fc producer clones were established. Among the established clones, CHO-2A9 cells produced a large amount of the product with an antibody-like dimerized structure in serum-free culture that facilitated the purification of scFv-Fc. The scFv-Fc specifically recognized the epitope sequence of prion protein in solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot analysis. The injection test into quails revealed that the scFv became more stable in vivo by fusion with the Fc region. The scFv-Fc will be a useful tool for the detection of mammalian prion proteins.     

Mechanisms of Docosahexaenoic and Eicosapentaenoic Acid Loss from Pacific Saury and Comparison of Their Retention Rates after Various Cooking Methods

The docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) contents of Pacific saury (Cololabis saira), a fatty fish and staple of the Japanese diet, have been reported to decrease after cooking. This study compared the DHA and EPA contents remaining in saury after grilling, pan‐frying or deep‐frying to center temperatures of 75, 85, or 95 °C, and examined physical loss, lipid oxidation, and thermal degradation as mechanisms of DHA and EPA loss. Temperature changes inside the saury were monitored using thermocouples, while DHA and EPA contents, oxygen radical absorbance capacity, and measurements of lipid oxidation (that is, carbonyl value and thiobarbituric acid value) were determined chemically. Visualization of temperature distribution inside fish samples during cooking revealed large differences in heat transfer among cooking methods. True retention rates in grilled (DHA: 84 ± 15%; EPA: 87 ± 14%) and pan‐fried samples (DHA: 85 ± 16%; EPA: 77 ± 17%) were significantly higher than deep‐fried samples (DHA: 58 ± 17%; EPA: 51 ± 18%), but were not affected by final center temperatures despite differences in cooking times. Physical loss via cooking losses (grilling and pan‐frying) or migration into frying oil (deep‐frying) accounted for large quantities of DHA and EPA loss, while lipid oxidation and thermal degradation did not appear to be major mechanisms of loss. The antioxidant capacity of saury was not significantly affected by cooking treatments. The results of this study suggest that minimization of physical losses during cooking may increase DHA and EPA contents retained in cooked Pacific saury.     

Precipitates caused by prolonged high-temperature annealing in floating zone silicon wafer grown from Czochralski single-crystal rod

The behavior of precipitates in a floating zone silicon crystal produced from a Czochralski single-crystal ingot has been studied. Large precipitates of α-Si₃N₄ crystal, having a dimension of about 2 μm, were formed at the mid-depth in the wafer by annealing at a high temperature in an ambient N₂ (70%)+O₂ (30%) atmosphere. The number of precipitates detected by cross-sectional X-ray topography increased with increasing annealing time. Because preannealing accompanying silicon oxidation in an ambient Ar+O₂ atmosphere prevented the precipitates formation, interstitial silicon is considered to eliminate the origin of precipitate.     

T-matrix analysis of electromagnetic wave differaction from a Fourier grating

This paper is described for T-matrix analysis of the electromagnetic wave diffraction from a Fourier grating that the boundary value problem is treated by applying the extended boundary condition. The rigorous form of the expression of matrix elements is presented in the term of Bessel functions of the first kind. The error of power conservation versus the truncated number has been examined for mode number. Diffraction efficiencies versus groove depth and wavelength for a second or third harmonic wave of Fourier grating have been discussed. Numerical results are in good agreement with those obtained from other method and experimental values. Reasonable numerical results are presented for a groove depth per period of the Fourier grating less than 0.25.     

Changes of aquaporin 5-distribution during release and reaccumulation of secretory granules in isoproterenol-treated mouse parotid gland

Water channel aquaporin 5 (AQP5) is present in the apical membrane of the salivary gland acinar cells. We examined changes of AQP5-distribution during the fusion process of secretory granule membranes into the apical membrane and subsequent recovery process in the mouse parotid gland by administering isoproterenol (IPR) in vivo. We performed immunoperoxidase, immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy. In the basal state, AQP5 was localized mainly in the apical membrane of the acinar cell. It was also present in the basolateral membrane to a lesser extent. When IPR was administered to mice, dot-like, vesicle-like and vacuole-like labeling for AQP5 was seen in the subapical regions by light microscopy. By immunoelectron microscopy, AQP5 was localized at both the apical and basolateral plasma membranes in the basal state. At 5 and 30 min after the IPR-administration, acinar lumen became enlarged and small invaginations formed by fusion of secretory granules were seen. AQP5 was positive along the apical plasma membrane and its small invaginations. At 60 min, large invaginations of the lumen were formed. AQP5 remained positive in the membrane of these large invaginations. At 6 h, large invaginations disappeared and AQP5 was localized in the apical plasma membrane. AQP5 was restricted to plasma membranes and continuous invaginations formed by the exocytosis of secretory granules. AQP5 was not detected in the cytoplasm. These observations show that AQP5 does not seem to be endocytosed during the membrane recycling process following the exocytosis.     

A small, low power boost regulator optimized for energy harvesting applications

A small, low power bootstrapped boost regulator is introduced that can start up with an input voltage of 240 mV and achieve a maximum efficiency of 97 %. The proposed circuit uses two separate control schemes for startup and steady-state operation. A fixed-frequency oscillator is used to initially start up the circuit and raise the output voltage. Once the output voltage has reached a level adequate to bias the internal circuitry, a constant-on-time style hysteretic control scheme is used, which helps increase system efficiency compared to using a conventional pulse-width-modulated control scheme. While maintaining a high efficiency, the proposed circuit only requires three external components: two capacitors (input and output) and an inductor. The effectiveness of this approach is shown through Spectre simulation results.     

Superposed effect of UV rays on ozone generation by electrical discharge

Generally, ozone is generated by using silent discharge or surface discharge; however, the energy efficiency of ozone generation by using only one kind of discharge is about 200 g/kWh. The energy efficiency of ozone generation is about one-fifth of the theoretical energy efficiency. Ozone decomposition occurs at high concentrations, high temperatures, and so on. In order to increase ozone generation efficiency, many studies of ozone generation methods have been carried out to date. Experiments on ozone generation by using surface discharge and UV rays were carried out. In an experiment on superposing surface discharge and UV rays in the same space, the ozone yield by the superposing mode is lower than either the ozone yield by surface discharge or by UV rays at the same power. It appears that noticeable ozone dissociation by UV rays occurs because a high ozone concentration is achieved by the superposing mode. In cascade connection of a surface discharge reactor and UV lamp reactor, the ozone yield of the cascade mode (from the UV lamp reactor to the surface discharge reactor) is higher than that of the superposing mode at the same power. It is confirmed that cumulative disassociation is an effective reaction of ozone generation. © 1998 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 123(4): 8–14, 1998