Processing Strategy for Producing Highly Anisotropic Silicon Nitride

Silicon nitride with a preferred orientation of large elongated grains was obtained by tape casting of raw powder slurry seeded with rodlike β-Si₃N₄ particles, followed by a gas pressure sintering under 1 MPa nitrogen pressure. The large elongated grains developed from seeds lay in planes parallel to the casting direction in a two-dimensional distribution. Increased fracture toughness (11.1 MPa·m^1/2) and bending strength (1100 MPa) were achieved in the direction perpendicular to the grains alignment compared to specimens with a random distribution of elongated grains. Morover, the specimens exhibited a high Weibull modulus of 46 due to the uniform distribution of large grains.     

High-Strength and High-Fracture-Toughness Ceramics in the Al2O3/LaAl11O18 Systems

Control of microstructure in the Al₂O₃/LaAl₁₁O₁₈ system was performed. Elongated alumina grains were formed by doping with small addition of silica, and 20 vol% lanthana- luminate was formed in situ by the reaction of LaAlO₃- A1₂O₃ in an alumina matrix. Strengths of over 600 MPa and a high fracture toughness (6 MPa.m^1/2) were achieved in the material with both elongated A1₂O₃ grains and LaAl₁₁O₁₈ platelets. Generally antagonistic properties such as strength and fracture toughness have been made compatible in the same ceramic system.     

Tribological Properties and Film Formation Behavior of Thermoreversible Gel Lubricants

The tribological properties of a new and unique thermoreversible gel lubricant (TR gel lube) were investigated. TR gel lube, which includes 10–40% of amide-type gelling agent in base fluid, is able to repeatedly alter or convert phase from gel state to liquid state at the melting point of the gelling agent. High-pressure rheological tests were performed in order to characterize the behavior of base oil and TR gel lube as a function of pressure and temperature. The effect of TR gel lube on ball bearing fatigue life was carried out by systematic tests using thrust ball bearings. The results of L ₁₀ life tests of TR gel lube showed a longer life than the conventional greases. This result was investigated from the oil film formation. It was found that the gelling agent played a key role in the lubricating properties. Some mechanisms such as adsorbed film formation and solid-like formation are proposed.     

Characterization of Cu Nanoparticles on TiO2 Photocatalysts Fabricated by Electroless Plating Method

Cu-modified TiO₂ photocatalysts (Cu/TiO₂) were fabricated by electroless plating and wet impregnation methods. Photocatalytic activity for H₂ production over Cu/TiO₂ by electroless plating method was higher than that over Cu/TiO₂ by impregnation method. Characterization of Cu nanoparticles by HRTEM, STEM-EDX, XRD and XAFS was studied. As compared to the wet impregnation method, the electroless plating method resulted in the formation of Cu nanoparticles with small size and uniform distribution on the TiO₂ surface, which caused the enhancement of H₂ production. XAFS measurement provided the evidences for the chemical state change of Cu species during the photocatalytic reaction. The process that Cu species varied from Cu²⁺ into Cu⁰ via Cu¹⁺ as the intermediate under photoirradiation is very important for the H₂ production, which indicates that the metallic Cu nanoparticles acted as the active sites and restrained the photogenerated charges recombination.     

Studies of oxidation behaviors of CdTe in ammoniacal basic electrolytes

The time variations in the electrode potential and mass of an electrodeposited CdTe layer when immersed in a deposition bath under an open-circuit condition were examined using an electrochemical QCM in order to observe the oxidation behavior due to dissolved oxygen. The morphology, composition, and crystallinity of the CdTe layer were also examined by SEM, EPMA, and XRD measurements. In the early stage of immersion, mostly only Cd atoms in the CdTe were found to dissolve from the zinc blende-type CdTe lattice, keeping the flat and smooth surface morphology intact. Then, the remaining Te formed a lattice of elemental Te and covered the CdTe layer. The electrolyte could penetrate the Te layer and access the CdTe layer's surface because the Te layer was porous due to the elution of Cd atoms. Therefore, the preferential dissolution of Cd species continued to occur, and finally, only the porous Te layer remained on the substrate. This dissolution of CdTe supports the validity of the potential-pH diagram of the Cd-Te-NH₃-H₂O system.     

Effects of heating rate and particle size on pulse electric current sintering of alumina

Two Al₂O₃ powders with different particle sizes were sintered by pulse electric current sintering method at different heating rates. Rapid heating reduced grain growth rate, and the level of reduction depended on the initial powder size and sintering temperature. Under certain conditions, rapid heating could enhance densification.     

Amelioration of abdominal obesity by low-molecular-weight polyphenol (Oligonol) from lychee

The effect of low-molecular-weight polyphenols extracted from lychee (Oligonol) on metabolic syndrome characterized by abdominal obesity was examined. We performed a clinical trial for Oligonol conducted by randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Eighteen (male, 14; female, 4) adult volunteers with abdominal circumference over 85 cm were enrolled and divided into two groups, Oligonol and placebo groups. All subjects took two capsules of Oligonol (50 mg/capsule) or placebo twice a day for 10 weeks. Physical and haematological examinations as well as a CT scan of the abdomen were carried out, before (control) and 10 weeks after Oligonol intake. Clinical parameters of body weight, abdominal circumference and visceral fat volume were significantly decreased in the Oligonol group compared to the control. Insulin resistance was improved by Oligonol in conjunction with elevation of serum adiponectin. These results suggest that Oligonol ameliorates metabolic syndrome by reducing visceral fat obesity.     

Cloning and sequencing of the histidine decarboxylase gene from Photobacterium phosphoreum and its functional expression in Escherichia coli

The major causative agent of scombroid poisoning is histamine formed by bacterial decarboxylation of histidine. We reported previously that histamine was exclusively formed by the psychrotrophic halophilic bacteria Photobacterium phosphoreum in scombroid fish during storage at or below 10 degrees C. Moreover, histamine-forming ability was affected by two histidine decarboxylases (HDCs): constitutive and inducible enzymes. In this study, the gene encoding P. phosphoreum HDC was cloned into Escherichia coli and sequenced. A sequence analysis of the DNA corresponding to the hdc gene revealed an open reading frame of 1,140 bp coding for a pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent HDC of 380 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 42.6 kDa. The HDC amino acid sequences formed a phylogenetic clade with strong bootstrap support and revealed high sequence similarities among the P. phosphoreum isolate and species of the family Enterobacteriaceae and a separate phylogenetic branch with the lowest sequence similarity between the isolate and the taxonomically closer Listonella anguillarum. The T7 promoter was used to overexpress the hdc gene in E. coli cells. The recombinant clone, E. coli BL21(DE3), displayed significant levels of HDC activity. The recombinant hdc gene was suggested to code the inducible HDC; therefore, the optimum reaction conditions of the recombinant HDC were similar to those of the inducible HDC in the P. phosphoreum isolate. In addition, a putative catabolite-repressor protein binding site, amino acid permease gene, and histidine-tRNA synthetase gene were found in flanking regions of the hdc gene.     

Detection of paralytic shellfish toxins by a solid-phase inhibition immunoassay using a microsphere-flow cytometry system

Paralytic shellfish poisoning is a toxic syndrome described in humans following the ingestion of seafood contaminated with saxitoxin and/or its derivatives. The presence of these toxins in shellfish is considered an important health threat and their levels in seafood destined to human consumption are regulated in many countries, as well as the levels of other chemically unrelated toxins. We studied the feasibility of immunodetection of saxitoxin and its analogs using a solid-phase microsphere assay coupled to flow cytometry detection in a Luminex 200 system. The technique consists of a competition assay where the toxins in solution compete with bead-bound saxitoxin for binding to an antigonyautoxin 2/3 monoclonal antibody (GT-13A). The assay allowed the detection of saxitoxin both in buffer and mussel extracts in the range of 2.2-19.7 ng/mL (IC(20)-IC(80)). Moreover, the assay cross-reactivity with other toxins of the group is similar to previously published immunoassays, with adequate detection of most analogs except N-1 hydroxy analogs. The recovery rate of the assay for saxitoxin was close to 100%. This microsphere-based immunoassay is suitable to be used as a screening method, detecting saxitoxin from 260 to 2360 μg/kg. This microsphere/flow cytometry system provided similar sensitivities to previously published immunoassays and provides a solid background for the development of easy, flexible multiplexing of toxin detection in one sample.