Involvement of superoxide and nitric oxide on airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness induced by diesel exhaust particles in mice

We previously demonstrated that chronic intratracheal instillation of diesel exhaust particles (DEP) induces airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness in the mouse, and that these effects were partially reversed by the administration of superoxide dismutase (SOD). In the present study, we have investigated the involvement of superoxide in DEP-induced airway response by analyzing the localization and activity of two enzymes: (1) a superoxide producer, NADPH cytochrome P-450 reductase (P-450 reductase), and (2) a superoxide scavenger, SOD, in the lungs of the exposed mice and controls. P-450 reductase was detected mainly in ciliated cells and clara cells: its activity was increased by the repeated intratracheal instillation of DEP. While CuZn-SOD and Mn-SOD were also present in the airway epithelium, their activity was significantly decreased following DEP instillation. Exposure to DEP doubled the level of nitric oxide (NO) in the exhaled air. DEP exposure also increased the level of constitutive NO synthase (cNOS) in the airway epithelium and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in the macrophages. Pretreatment with N-G-monomethyl L-arginine, a nonspecific inhibitor of NO synthase, significantly reduced the airway hyperresponsiveness induced by DEP. These results indicate that superoxide and NO may each contribute to the airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness induced by the repeated intratracheal instillation of DEP in mice.     

Charge—discharge characteristics and structural change in various niobium sulfide cathodes for lithium-nonaqueous secondary batteries

Electrochemical behaviors of niobium sulfides such as 3R-Nb_1+xS₂ (x = 0.00 ≈ 0.25), 2H-NbS₂ and NbS₃ for lithium batteries are investigated in 1 M LiClO₄-propylene carbonate solution. The cathodic reaction in the charge-discharge cycle of the disulfides is shown as follows:

X-ray diffraction measurement and open circuit potential data show that 3R-Nb_1.00S₂ gives continuous structural change along c-axis reversibly with cycling, where x takes from 0 to 1, whereas 2H-NbS₂ gives the stepwise change also reversibly with cycling, where x is at least 1. On the other hand, NbS₃ yields the ternary phase of Li_xNbS₃ giving an amorphous X-ray pattern and shows irreversible structural change with cycling. When the charge-discharge cyclings are carried out at a constant capacity of 0.50 equivalent mole^?1 of sulfide and a current density of 0.20 mA cm^?2, 3R-Nb_1.00S₂ can be cycled over 100 times without an increase in the charge potential, whereas in 2H-NbS₂ and NbS₃ the charge potentials rise to 4.6 V vs Li/Li⁺ with cycling, which limits the cycle number to 30 ≈ 50 times. This would be due to the fact that 3R-Nb_1.00S₂ shows the reversible structural change with keeping the original crystal lattice with cycling.     

Time optimal discrete control system with bounded state variable

This paper considers the minimum time regulator problem for a linear time-invariant discrete system with input and state variable constraints. The state space techniques are used throughout. Conditions for controllability of the system are examined in detail and an algorithm for generating optimal controls is given such that computor implementation is possible for higher-order systems.     

Electrolytic oxidation of Ce(III) in nitric acid and sulfuric acid media using a flow type cell

The electrochemical oxidation behavior of Ce(III) in nitric acid and sulfuric acid media with various concentrations and compositions were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and potentiostatic electrolysis. In nitric acid media, the peak potential separation for the redox reactions of the Ce(III)/Ce(IV) couple shifted to base side with the increasing concentration of nitric acid from 1 to 6 M. The kinetics of the Ce(III)/Ce(IV) couple is rapid in high concentration nitric acid. The formal potential is independent of both proton and nitrate concentrations while the standard rate constant increases with added protons but is independent of nitrate concentration. Constant-potential electrolysis also shows that a high proton concentration is electrochemically favorable for the electron transfer of the Ce(III)/Ce(IV) couple and for a high Ce(IV) yield in nitric acid media. The current efficiency was ca. 75% for the oxidation process of Ce(III) at 298 K. A Ce(IV) yield of ca. 80% was achieved for the electrolysis of 100 mM Ce(III) in 6 M HNO₃ solution. In sulfuric acid media, the peak potential separation for the redox reactions of the Ce(III)/Ce(IV) couple shifted to noble side with rising concentration of sulfuric acid from 0.1 to 2 M and then shifted to base side with further increase in the concentration. A Ce(IV) yield of ca. 95% was achieved for the potentiostatic electrolysis of 100 mM Ce(III) in 3 M H₂SO₄ solution.     

Power and energy measurements of transient electric discharge

A simple and inexpensive calculating device for electrical power and energy of transient electric discharges is described. The calculation is made by multiplication of the voltage and current of the discharge by use of wideband integrated circuits.     

Note: Unshielded bilateral magnetoencephalography system using two-dimensional gradiometers

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) noninvasively measures neuronal activity with high temporal resolution. The aim of this study was to develop a new type of MEG system that can measure bilateral MEG waveforms without a magnetically shielded room, which is an obstacle to reducing both the cost and size of an MEG system. An unshielded bilateral MEG system was developed using four two-dimensional (2D) gradiometers and two symmetric cryostats. The 2D gradiometer, which is based on a low-T(c) superconducting quantum interference device and wire-wound pickup coil detects a magnetic-field gradient in two orthogonal directions, or ?/?x(?(2)B(z)/?z(2)), and reduces environmental magnetic-field noise by more than 50 dB. The cryostats can be symmetrically positioned in three directions: vertical, horizontal, and rotational. This makes it possible to detect bilateral neuronal activity in the cerebral cortex simultaneously. Bilateral auditory-evoked fields (AEF) of 18 elderly subjects were measured in an unshielded hospital environment using the MEG system. As a result, both the ipsilateral and the contralateral AEF component N100m, which is the magnetic counterpart of electric N100 in electroencephalography and appears about 100 ms after the onset of an auditory stimulus, were successfully detected for all the subjects. Moreover, the ipsilateral P50m and the contralateral P50m were also detected for 12 (67%) and 16 (89%) subjects, respectively. Experimental results demonstrate that the unshielded bilateral MEG system can detect MEG waveforms, which are associated with brain dysfunction such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, and Down syndrome.     

Application of Ni-free high nitrogen stainless steel for bipolar plates of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Ni-free 23Cr-1N stainless steel was examined as bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Corrosion resistance of the 23Cr-1N stainless steel was better relative to 22Cr stainless steel in the simulated cathodic environments. As confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the polarized 22Cr and 23Cr-1N stainless steels at pH 2.3 presented predominantly chromium oxide in the outer passive layers. At pH 4.3, the passive layer of the polarized 22Cr stainless steel changed to iron oxides dominant. Interestingly, on the other hand, the polarized 23Cr-1N stainless steel preserved chromium oxide rich outer passive layer, which provides good corrosion resistance. As a result, although the initial cell voltage was slightly lower (∼40 mV), the 23Cr-1N stainless steel bipolar plates employing cell showed better cell voltage stability up to 1000 h, compared with the 22Cr stainless steel employing cell. The operation voltage became further higher through a surface modification of the 23Cr-1N stainless steel with TiN nanoparticles. It seems that the corrosion resistive Ni-free 23Cr-1N is possible to apply for bipolar plates of proton exchange membrane fuel cells.     

Effect of addition of corrosion inhibitors on corrosion behaviors of PCV material under diluted artificial seawater environment

ABSTRACT

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants (1F) were damaged by unprecedented severe accident in the great east Japan earthquake, and seawater and freshwater had been injected as an emergency countermeasure for the core cooling. Although, the primary containment vessel (PCV) was not supposed to be exposed to diluted seawater, the PCV will be exposed to diluted seawater environment until fuel debris removal is completed. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a countermeasure of corrosion for the PCVs made of carbon steel. In this study, the effect of the addition of corrosion inhibitor, which is one of the corrosion countermeasures, was investigated by two types of corrosion tests. As a result of the immersion corrosion test, it was found that any of the three kinds of corrosion inhibitor could suppress corrosion of carbon steel. In addition, as a result of the inhibitor interim addition test, it was found that corrosion of carbon steel covered with corrosion products could be suppressed by optimizing the additive amount of corrosion inhibitor in the cooling water.     

Turn on Nanolight in a Tiny Gap

A new low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy technique with laser optics allows for optical excitation and spectroscopy at the level of a single atom or molecule. Shape and material of the microscope's tip prove essential for these investigations; thus, the tip is produced with nanoscale precision by Focused Ion-Beam milling. The localized surface plasmon properties of the tips are engineered by altering the tip structures providing spectral tunability. Local optical excitation is performed by a wavelength-tunable laser source. This tip-enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy provides a new approach for the atomic-scale optical characterization of local electron-phonon coupling and could ultimately lead to new nanoscale optoelectronic devices with exceptional high sensitivity and efficiency.     

Ozonation of C.I. Reactive Yellow 3 and Further Decrease in Dissolved Organic Carbon Concentration by Post-Biodegradation

Using C.I. Reactive Yellow 3 as the target compound, the effect of the combined use of ozonation and post-biodegradation on the decrease in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration was investigated, and the synergistic effect (the difference in the amounts of DOC removed by the biological process between solutions with and without ozonation) was estimated. A decrease in DOC concentration was observed during ozonation and ΔO₃/ΔDOC was decreased from 16.0 to 5.2 with increasing ozonation time. Moreover, an enhancement of biodegradability was shown. A further decrease in DOC concentration was observed during the biodegradation after ozonation. The total amount of DOC removed by the combined method was increased from 73.6 mg at 30 min to 159.9 mg at 4 h. The synergistic effect was in the range of 22.7 to 39.2 mg. BOD₅ was a better indicator of the synergistic effect than BOD₅/DOC.