Methane Oxidation on Perovskite-Type Ca(Mn1−xTix)O3−δ

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was performed to elucidate the catalytic activity of CH₄ oxidation on perovskite-type Ca(Mn_{1− x} Ti _x )O_3−δ synthesized at 1173 K in a flow of oxygen from a gel with citric acid and ethylene glycol. The Mn ion content decreases and the ratio of the Mn³⁺ ion in the Mn ion increases with increases in x . Ca(Mn_{1− x} Ti _x )O_3−δ has a high catalytic activity of CH₄ oxidation at x =0.4. These results indicate that the catalytic activity strongly depends on the Mn³⁺ ion content of the surface.     

Oxidation and stress relief in air at room temperature of amorphous silicon hydrogenated in a glow discharge

Glow-discharge-hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si : H) was found to be oxidized in the following two ways after exposing to air at room temperature; first, thin oxide films grew uniformly on the a-Si : H, slowly with increase of exposure time; secondly, oxide with a columnar morphology grew rapidly with the increase of exposure time and the cross section of the columnar oxide was small. Mechanical stress caused by the differences of the thermal expansion coefficient and the crystallographical structure between the a-Si : H and substrates was relieved with the increase in the amount of the columnar oxide.     

L-Ergothioneine scavenges superoxide and singlet oxygen and suppresses TNF-α and MMP-1 expression in UV-irradiated human dermal fibroblasts

The hair lipid composition collected from 44 Japanese females between 1 and 81 years of age was examined for eight lipids including hydrocarbons (HCs), squalene (SQ), wax esters (WEs), triglycerides (TGs), fatty acids (FAs), cholesterol (CH), ceramides (CERs), and 18-methyl eicosanoic acid (MEA). In this study, the 5-cm length from the proximal root end of hair fibers, which had never been exposed to any chemical treatment, was used after 5-min incubation with hexane following shampooing. Hair lipids were extracted with solvent and subsequent alkali-solvent and were then analyzed by a combination of chromatography. Although the average contents of the lipids showed great fluctuations among individuals, there were significant correlations between the levels of each lipid, which allowed for the classification of the hair lipids into four groups: group A: SQ, WEs, TGs, and FAs (designated as endogenous lipids based upon their sebum origin); group B: CH and CERs (designated as endogenous lipids); group C: HC (unknown origin); and group D: MEA (the other endogenous lipid). A principal component analysis for eight lipids revealed that the hair lipid composition was characterized by a predominant negative correlation between each lipid for groups A and B. This negative correlation suggests that the endogenous lipids in group B serve as a barrier against the penetration of predominantly sebum-derived exogenous lipids (group A). Endogenous lipids consisting of CH and CERs (group B) and MEA (group D) should be designated as intrinsic internal lipids of human hair.     

Emission of Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5) from Sewage Sludge Incinerators in Japan

Because fine particulate matter ≤2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5) causes health problems, PM2.5 emissions are of concern. However, little research on stationary sources has been conducted. To determine the concentration and filtration behavior of PM2.5, dust was collected from five fluid-bed sewage sludge incinerators (SSIs) sorted by particle size using cascade impactors. The average PM2.5 concentration was 0.00014–4.8 mg/Nm³. The total estimated amount of PM2.5 emissions from the SSIs for all plants in Japan was 0.96–8.9 tons/year. Since the SSIs with dry Electrostatic Precipitators (EP) contributed 75–99% of the total emissions, replacing dry EPs with bag filters would significantly reduce the PM2.5 emissions from SSI.     

Character motion synthesis by principal component analysis and motion control interface by hands

In this paper, we propose an interactive character motion control interface that uses hands. Using their hands and fingers, the user can control a large number of degrees of freedom at the same time. We applied principal component analysis to a set of sample poses and assigned the extracted principal components to each degree of freedom of the hands (such as the hand positions and finger bending/extending angles). The user can control the blending weights of the principal components and deform the character's pose by moving their hands and bending/extending their fingers. We introduced pose and action controls, so that we can alter the standing pose and perform various actions with deformations. So that various types of actions were possible, we constructed a number of action models in advance. We introduced action model selection and action execution mechanisms. We developed methods for computing the feature vector, for applying principal component analysis, and for pose and action synthesis. In addition, we introduced a pose transition method for performing a step motion when necessary to prevent foot sliding. We present our experimental results and demonstrate the effectiveness of our interface. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Proposal of a Simple Method for Assessing the Susceptibility of Naturally Deposited Clay Grounds to Large Long-Term Settlement due to Embankment Loading

A simple method that utilizes the results of laboratory tests has been proposed for determining the susceptibility of soft clay grounds to large residual consolidation settlement due to embankment loading. It was found that there is a possibility of large long-term settlement if the sensitivity and compression index ratios of the clay material that constitutes the ground are equal to or more than 8.0 and 1.5, respectively. The compression index ratio is defined in this paper as the ratio (Cc/Ccr) of the steepest gradient of the compression curve of an undisturbed sample to that of the remolded sample. Through the SYS Cam-clay model, an elasto-plastic constitutive model that describes the actions of the soil skeleton structure, it was found that clays with large sensitivity and compression index ratios are characterized by initially highly structured soils and that decay/upgradation of the structure can easily occur due to plastic deformation. In addition, by following Schmertmann's graphic method for in-situ compression curve (1953), this paper proposes a method of deducing the in-situ initial conditions from the results of laboratory consolidation tests on undisturbed samples. These investigations revealed not only that large delayed settlement is facilitated in clays, which have higher degrees of structure and faster rates of structural decay, but also that the Δe method and other simple methods of predicting settlement may underestimate the amount of settlement.     

Control of Snow Falling Flow around NACA0015 Blade using a Plasma Electrode with Weather Resistant Design

The plasma actuation (PA) effect on the snow falling flow was investigated using a plasma electrode with weather resistant design and the natural snow wind facility of the Hokkaido University of Science. NACA0015 test blade with chord length c of 300 mm was used. Wind tunnel tests were carried out under the angle of the attack of the blade was fixed at 15 degrees, and the main flow velocity is U=5 m/s. PIV (Particle image velocimetry) measurements were conducted on various PA conditions using natural dry snowflakes as a tracer. When the actuator was driven under the condition of the fundamental frequency of F=50 kHz, and the pulsed modulated frequency f of fc/U=1 and Duty ratio (Ratio of plasma ON time to pulse duration time) =1%, movement of snowflakes was controlled the most effectively tested. It was clarified that the fundamental frequency of PA also affects the control of snow flow. Under snowfall conditions, the weather resistant designed plasma electrode has suffered no damage and operated successfully.     

Detailed Analysis of Temperature Characteristics of an InGaP/InGaAs/Ge Triple-Junction Solar Cell

Temperature characteristics of an InGaP/InGaAs/Ge triple-junction solar cell were analyzed in detail using an equivalent circuit calculation. The current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of single-junction solar cells (InGaP, InGaAs, Ge solar cells) were measured at various temperatures. Fitting of I–V curves between measured and calculated data was carried out, and the diode parameters and temperature exponents of the single-junction solar cells were extracted. The parameters for each single-junction solar cell were used in the equivalent circuit model for the triple-junction solar cell, and calculations of solar cell performance were carried out. Measured and calculated results of the I–V characteristics at various temperatures agreed well.     

Effects of low- or medium-pressure ultraviolet lamp irradiation on Microcystis aeruginosa and Anabaena variabilis

A pure culture of Microcystis aeruginosa or Anabaena variabilis, the representatives of water blooming algae, was exposed to low-pressure (LP) or medium-pressure (MP) UV lamps. Irradiated pure culture suspension was subsequently incubated for 7d under white light fluorescent lamps. During incubation, profiles of the number of cells, DNA damage and photosynthetic activity were determined. When UV fluence was 600mJ/cm(2), M. aeruginosa cell numbers decreased throughout the 7-d incubation period, to produce 1.5log reduction (LP) or 1.2log reduction (MP) compared with control. The amount of DNA damage was 2.02x10(-4) ESS/base (LP) and 3.42x10(-4) ESS/base (MP) just after UV irradiation, which became 0.05x10(-4) ESS/base and 0.23x10(-4) ESS/base, respectively, after 3d incubation. However, cell number kept decreasing, even after DNA repair. Photosynthetic activity decreased by 1.5log within 1d (LP) or 3d (MP). Thus, reduction in photosynthetic activity could contribute to the reduction in M. aeruginosa cell numbers. A. variabilis cell numbers reduced by 2.3log (LP) or 2.2log (MP) during the 7-d incubation period; however, after DNA damage repair, cell number began to increase. The amount of DNA damage was 6.07x10(-4) ESS/base (LP) and 4.48x10(-4) ESS/base (MP) just after UV irradiation, which became 0.23x10(-4) ESS/base and 0.40x10(-4) ESS/base, respectively, after 3d incubation. No reduction was observed in photosynthetic activity/cell. Therefore, DNA damage is the main contributor of the reduction in cell number of A. variabilis.