Studies on the formation of poly(ethylene terephthalate): 6. Catalytic activity of metal compounds in polycondensation of bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate

The rate parameters (p and d values) associated with the rate constants of propagation and thermal degradation reactions in the polycondensation process of bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET) in the presence of various metal compounds as catalysts at 283°C, calculated from the time dependence of the molecular weight of the formed polymer, were used to evaluate each metal compound in its catalytic activity. These logarithms of the p and d values were correlated by linear relationships (mountain-shaped) with the stability constants (log β₁) of dibenzoyl methane (DBM) complexes of the corresponding metal species. Consequently, the stability constant of DBM complex of each metal species was found to be very useful in forecasting the catalytic activity of the metal compound. The compound of metal species with values of log β₁ about 12 was most active as the catalyst on the propagation reaction and that of values about 11 was most active on the thermal degradation reaction.     

A comparative study on cost and life‐cycle analysis for 100 MW very large‐scale PV (VLS‐PV) systems in deserts using m‐Si,a‐Si,CdTe, and CIS modules

This paper is a study of comparisons between five types of 100 MW Very Large‐Scale Photovoltaic Power Generation (VLS‐PV) Systems, from economic and environmental viewpoints. The authors designed VLS‐PV systems using typical PV modules of multi‐crystalline silicon (12·8% efficiency), high efficiency multi‐crystalline silicon (15·8%), amorphous silicon (6·9%), cadmium tellurium (9·0%), and copper indium selenium (11·0%), and evaluated them by Life‐Cycle Analysis (LCA). Cost, energy requirement, and CO₂ emissions were calculated. In addition, the authors evaluated generation cost, energy payback time (EPT), and CO₂ emission rates. As a result, it was found that the EPT is 1·5–2·5 years and the CO₂ emission rate is 9–16 g‐C/kWh. The generation cost was 11–12 US Cent/kWh on using 2 USD/W PV modules, and 19–20 US Cent/kWh on using 4 USD/W PV module price. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Enumeration of fungi in fruits by the most probable number method

In this study, enumeration methods for fungi in foods were evaluated using fruits that are often contaminated by fungi in the field and rot because of fungal contaminants. As the test methods, we used the standard most probable number (MPN) method with liquid medium in test tubes, which is traditionally used as the enumeration method for bacteria, and the plate-MPN method with agar plate media, in addition to the surface plating method as the traditional enumeration method for fungi. We tested 27 samples of 9 commercial domestic fruits using their surface skin. The results indicated that the standard MPN method showed slow recovery of fungi in test tubes and lower counts than the surface plating method and the plate-MPN method in almost all samples. The fungal count on the 4th d of incubation was approximately the same as on the 10th d by the surface plating method or the plate-MPN method, indicating no significant differences between the fungal counts by these 2 methods. This result indicated that the plate-MPN method had a number agreement with the traditional enumeration method. Moreover, the plate-MPN method has a little laborious without counting colonies, because fungal counts are estimated based on the number of plates with growing colonies. These advantages demonstrated that the plate-MPN method is a comparatively superior and rapid method for enumeration of fungi.     

Thermophysical properties of americium-containing barium plutonate

Polycrystalline specimens of americium-containing barium plutonate have been prepared by mixing the appropriate amounts of (Pu_0.91Am_0.09)O₂ and BaCO₃ powders followed by reacting and sintering at 1600 K under the flowing gas atmosphere of dry-air. The sintered specimens had a single phase of orthorhombic perovskite structure and were crack-free. Elastic moduli were determined from longitudinal and shear sound velocities. Debye temperature was also determined from sound velocities and lattice parameter measurements. Thermal conductivity was calculated from measured density at room temperature, literature values of heat capacity and thermal diffusivity measured by laser flash method in vacuum. Thermal conductivity of americium-containing barium plutonate was roughly independent of temperature and registered almost the same magnitude as that of BaPuO₃ and BaUO₃.     

Moisture Proofing of Spray Dried Particles Comprising Ammonium Nitrate/Potassium Nitrate/Polymer

The aim of this study was to fabricate moisture‐proof, phase‐stabilized, ammonium nitrate/potassium nitrate (AN/PN) particles, with a polymer used as the moisture‐proofing agent. The particles were prepared with a spray drying technique. Water solutions (or water dispersions) containing AN/PN and one of five different types of polymer were spray‐dried, which produced white powders with particle diameters of approximately 20–40 μm. Scanning electron microscopy and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy indicated that each component was homogeneously distributed throughout the particles. The particles exhibited little aggregation compared to the reagent AN, even when left for 7 d or more. In addition, the moisture absorption of the particles at less than 40 % relative humidity (RH) was lower than that of the polymer‐free particles. Even under high‐moisture conditions (83 % RH), the particles did not deliquesce immediately, and they retained their original shape for 30–60 min, whereas the polymer‐free particles were transformed into droplets within 5 min.     

Sensor-controlled heliostat with an equatorial mount

A heliostat having a photo-sensor sun-tracking system was developed and evaluated. The sensor was composed of a set of two photo-cells placed side by side on the bottom of the small box. Sun-tracking can be achieved by rotating the heliostat equipped with the sensor, while maintaining the two photo-cells under illumination by the sun through a slit in the box. A preliminary tracking evaluation of the sensor was carried out with the aid of a mirror-telescope system, and the tracking error was estimated to be less than 0.6 mrad in clear weather. The developed heliostat employed an equatorial mount system that permits the rotating speed of the right-ascension axis to be nearly constant for the diurnal motion of the sun. The use of two additional sensors, a cloud sensor and a primary sensor, permitted stable tracking with high accuracy even in a cloudy sky. Field tests of the heliostat revealed that an angular error within 2 mrad was achieved in fine weather. In cloudy weather, the heliostat operated stably with the cloud sensor within an error of 10 mrad.     

Palladium on Carbon‐Catalyzed Aqueous Transformation of Primary Alcohols to Carboxylic Acids Based on Dehydrogenation under Mildly Reduced Pressure

The catalytic dehydrogenation of alcohols to carbonyl products is a green sustainable oxidation with no production of waste except for hydrogen, which can be an energy source. Additionally, a reusable heterogeneous catalyst is valuable from the viewpoint of process chemistry and water is a green solvent. We have accomplished the palladium on carbon (Pd/C)‐catalyzed dehydrogenation of primary alcohols to carboxylic acids in water under a mildly reduced pressure (800 hPa). The reduced pressure can be easily controlled by the vacuum controller of the rotary evaporator to remove the excess of generated hydrogen, which causes the reduction (reverse reaction) of aldehydes to alcohols (starting materials) and other undesirable side reactions. The present method is applicable to the reaction of various aliphatic and benzylic alcohols to the corresponding carboxylic acids, and the Pd/C could be reused at least 5 times.

     

Gyoji Banshoya (1930–1998): a Japanese planner devoted to historic cities in the Middle East and North Africa

Gyoji Banshoya (1930–1998) was a Japanese urban planner whose life-work was urban planning in the Middle East and North Africa. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of his work, which still remains unknown. His early masterpiece, the ‘Square House’, shows how he was influenced by Kiyoshi Seike to apply historic spatial composition to realize width and convertibility in low-cost housing. Following this, Banshoya studied under the supervision of Gerald Hanning and George Candilis at Ateliers de Bâtisseurs in Paris, and went to Algiers to engage in the study of ‘evolutionary habitat’. As a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) expert, he began working with Michel Ecochard in 1962 in Beirut, Damascus, and Aleppo. They were responsible for the elaboration of master plans for these three cities, and that of Damascus still remains as a legally active master plan today. Coupled with the Syrian political struggle since the 1980s, there has been some reaction against their modernist policies. However, the case is made for a detailed examination of Banshoya's work, and re-evaluation of its legacy for the urban planning history of the Middle East and North Africa.