Correction to: Nitrogen balance in paddy fields under flowing-irrigation condition

The article Nitrogen balance in paddy fields under flowing-irrigation condition, written by Makoto Saiki, Thi Phuong Mai Nguyen, Junko Shindo, Kei Nishida, was originally published Online First...     

Sorption of cellooligosaccharides to activated clay in sulfuric acid solution

This paper discusses the sorption of cellooligosaccharides to activated clay in concentrated sulfuric acid solution. Cellobiose was sorbed to the clay in 72% (w/w) sulfuric acid but not in water; the sorption of glucose was not observed in both solutions. Hydrolysate of filter paper cellulose after 72% sulfuric acid treatment was also sorbed to the clay, and the sorbed sugars were partly released by diluting the mixture. The sorbed sugars could also be recovered in the form of d-glucose after hot dilute acid treatment of the sugar-acid-clay suspension.     

Carbon oxidation with platinum supported catalysts

The effect of the support oxide, Pt precursor and reactant gas composition on the catalysis of soot oxidation was investigated using carbon black as a model soot and simulated exhaust gases. The Pt precursors used were Pt(NH₃)₄(OH)₂, H₂PtCl₆·6H₂O, Pt(NH₃)₄(NO₃)₂, and Pt(NH₃)₄Cl₂. The support metal oxides used were SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and ZrO₂. Pt/SiO₂ prepared from Pt(NH₃)₄(OH)₂ showed the highest carbon oxidation activity. It had much higher activity in the condition of N₂+O₂+H₂O+NO+SO₂ than without NO and SO₂.     

Competition Between the Superfluid Overlayer and the Mobile Solid Layer of 3He-4He Mixture Films on Porous Gold

In the previous quartz crystal microbalance measurements for ⁴He films adsorbed on porous gold, we have observed a competition between superfluidity and slippage: In low areal densities, the resonance frequency increases gradually below T _S due to the slippage of solid layer, while at high areal densities the slippage disappears and the superfluid onset of liquid overlayer is observed at T _C . In the crossover region, the slippage below T _S is suddenly suppressed at T _D , which is much lower than T _C . In the present work, we introduced a small amount of ³He onto ⁴He films, and studied the competition as a function of ³He areal density ρ ₃. As ρ ₃ is increased, T _C is monotonically lowered. In contrast, T _D increases up to a certain value of ρ ₃, and then turns over to decrease in parallel to T _C .     

Corrosion resistance and chemical stability of super-hydrophobic film deposited on magnesium alloy AZ31 by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

A super-hydrophobic film was successfully deposited on magnesium alloy AZ31 by the microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPECVD) process. The film surface showed a static water contact angle of more than 150°. The hydrophobicity and root mean square roughness of the film surface increased with an increase in deposition time. The anticorrosion resistance of the deposited film was estimated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. The EIS measurements and appropriate equivalent circuit models revealed that the super-hydrophobic film considerably improved the anticorrosion resistant performance of magnesium alloy AZ31. The anticorrosion mechanism of the super-hydrophobic film was also considered. Moreover, the chemical stability of the super-hydrophobic film in acidic, neutral, and alkaline aqueous solutions was investigated. The super-hydrophobic film showed high chemical stability in acidic and neutral aqueous solutions.     

Recombinant expression and characterization of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I derived from Nicotiana tabacum

The C-terminal catalytic domain of tobacco N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I fused to maltose-binding protein was produced in Escherichia coli as a soluble form with significant activity. The protein was affinity-purified using amylose resin, and its enzymatic properties were investigated, including its divalent cation requirements, optimal temperature, optimal pH, and substrate specificity.     

Formation of L10-type ordered β′ phase in as-solutionized dental Ag-Pd-Au-Cu alloys and hardening behavior

The relationship between the microstrucutural changes of L1₀-type ordered β′ phase and hardening behavior in as-solutionized dental Ag-Pd-Au-Cu alloys was investigated by changing the cooling rate and the solution treatment temperature. Additionally, the formation process of the β′ phase in as-solutionized Ag-Pd-Au-Cu alloy was attempted to clarify. The microstructural changes were observed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) method and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The hardness was evaluated using a Vickers microhardness tester. The β′ phase is precipitated regardless of the cooling rate, after solution treatment at 1123 K. TEM dark field images show that the size of the β′ phase decreases and the number of β′ phase increases with an increase in the cooling rate. The Vickers hardness value increases with an increase in cooling rate. TEM dark field images show that the microstructure of β′ phase is similar when the solution treatment temperature increases from 1123 K to 1173 K. However, the Vickers hardness increases with an increase of solution treatment temperature. It is of great significance to reveal that the β′ phase precipitated in as-solutionized Ag-Pd-Au-Cu alloy is formed during cooling after high-temperature solution treatment and that the growth of the β′ phase is diffusion controlled.