Catalytically enhanced thin and uniform TaS<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanosheets for hydrogen evolution reaction

Though the transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) were proven to have a better performance on the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), the bulk production of active TMD materials remains a challenging work. This report overcomes those barriers by showing a simple procedure to synthesize TaS₂ nanosheets through modifying the arc discharge process. The usage of chloride as the transporting agent reduces the growth period of the formed TaS₂ with active edge sites. TaS₂ is found to have a uniform thickness (4 nm) with high crystallinity and adopt a 2H polytype (double-layered hexagonal) structure. The as-synthesized TaS₂ has superior activity for HER with the potential of 280 mV.     

Surge analysis of the tank of a gas-insulated line using lumped constant circuits

Surge voltages evaluated by a digital analysis method, for example, electromagnetic transients program (EMTP) and by an analog analysis method (transient network analyzer: TNA) are compared with experimental results on a scaled model of a gas insulated line. From the results, it is confirmed that the analog analysis method has a satisfactory accuracy and its computing speed is quite high. The error caused by the lumped element modeling of the gas insulated line is comparatively small, and the line is not necessary to be treated as a distributed parameter line. The lumped element model is advantageous to understand the mechanism of the transient characteristic of the induced transient voltage. A simple equivalent circuit of the gas insulated line is proposed and its accuracy is confirmed by a comparison with the calculated result obtained by an accurate line method. The transient overvoltages of the tank and across the insulated flange can be analytically calculated using the equivalent model.     

A convenient preparative method of 2,3-dialkyi parasorbic acids from carboxylic acids

Various 2,3-dialkyl parasorbic acids were prepared from carboxylic acids. For example, 2-methyl-5-pentyI parasorbic acid was prepared from hexanoic acid and propanoic acid as follows: Grignard reaction of hexanoic acid ( I ) with allylmagnesium chloride gave l-nonen-4-one ( II ) and the reaction of ( II ) with propanoic acid ( III ) with lithium naphthalenide in the presence of diethylamine produced 3-allyl-3-hydroxy-2-methyloctanoic acid ( IV ). From the reaction of ( IV ) with 97% (v/v) sulphuric acid, 2-methyl-3-pentyl parasorbic acid was formed. Several 2,3-dialkyl parasorbic acids were obtained by this method. These products may be used as perfumery materials.     

Functional Properties of the Catalytic Domain of Mouse Acidic Mammalian Chitinase Expressed in Escherichia coli

Mouse acidic mammalian chitinase (AMCase) plays important physiological roles in defense and nutrition. AMCase is composed of an N-terminal catalytic domain (CatD) and a C-terminal chitin-binding domain (CBD). We expressed CatD of mouse AMCase as a recombinant fusion protein with Protein A and V5-His in Escherichia coli (Protein A-CatD-V5-His), evaluated its functional properties and compared them to the full-length AMCase (Protein A-AMCase-V5-His). Under our experimental conditions, the chitinolytic activity of both proteins against 4-nitrophenyl N,N''-diacetyl-β-d-chitobioside was equivalent with regard to their specific enzymatic activities, optimal pH and temperature as well as to the pH and temperature stability. CatD bound to chitin beads and cleaved the N-acetylglucosamine hexamer, colloidal and crystalline chitin as well as the shrimp shell, and released primarily N,N''-diacetylchitobiose fragments at pH 2.0. These results indicate that the primary structure of CatD is sufficient to form a proper tertiary structure required for chitinolytic activity, recognize chitin substrates and degrade them in the absence of a CBD. Our recombinant proteins can be used for further studies evaluating pathophysiological roles of AMCase in different diseases.     

Transovarian transmission of a foreign gene in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, by Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus

We introduced a firefly luciferase gene, expressed under control of Drosophila heat shock protein gene promoter, into Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV). When the 5th instar larvae of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, were inoculated with the recombinant virus, luciferase activities were detected in the virus-infected larvae and pupae, and in the newly hatched larvae of the next generation. PCR amplification and Southern blot hybridization analysis demonstrated that the luciferase gene was transmitted through at least the F2 generation. In addition, the V-cathepsin gene, encoding a cysteine protease of AcNPV, was also detected in the DNA of all individuals of the F2 generation. These results show that AcNPV can be utilized as vector for the transovarian transmission of foreign genes in the silkworm.     

Spin-Polarized Tunneling in Fully Epitaxial Semiconductor-Based Magnetic Tunnel Junctions

Tunneling magneto-resistance (TMR) in magnetic heterostructures is a very important phenomenon for future spin-electronic devices. This paper presents our TMR studies on two epitaxial magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs): GaMnAs/AlAs/GaMnAs ferromagnetic/ nonmagnetic semiconductor MTJs, and MnAs/AlAs/MnAs ferromagnetic-metal/ semiconductor MTJs, which are both compatible with semiconductor device technology.     

Numerical analysis of low-frequency electromagnetic scattering from axially symmetric bodies using an inductance matrix

We have proposed a numerical method for calculating low-frequency electromagnetic scattering from axially symmetric conducting bodies with and without apertures. The surface of the perfectly conducting scatterer is modeled by a set of inductively coupled coil elements, and the current in each coil element is computed by solving an inductance matrix equation. A disadvantage of a conventional method for a scatterer with apertures is discussed. Scattering from various axially symmetric conducting bodies with or without apertures is calculated and the resulting fields are in good agreement with those obtained by finite-element method.     

Least lead addition to mitigate tin whisker for ambient storage

Long term surface evolution of matte tin electroplating has been investigated under room temperature to understand the tin whisker mitigation by a trace amount of lead addition. No whisker growth has been observed on all the Sn–xPb samples (1 ≤ x ≤ 10 wt%), while at least 3 wt% of Pb addition is required to alter the columnar grain structure of pure Sn plating to equiaxed grains. The mitigation mechanism by such a trace amount of Pb is not caused by the grain texture control, but is due to the less inter-metallic composite (IMC) growth; the segregated Pb at the columnar grain boundaries disrupts the IMC growth, and releases Sn grain boundary migrations to relax the internal stress. This mechanism of stress relaxation and whisker growth suppression suggests that lead-free Sn plating without whisker growth can be realized by co-plating Sn with a Pb-like metal element that precipitates at the grain boundary to interfere with the IMC growth.