Preparation of polyacrylic dyes

Polyacrylic chloride was reacted with aminonaphthol sulfonic acid to give a polymeric intermediate, from which the corresponding dyestuff was prepared by coupling with an aromatic diazonium salt. The water-solubility of the polymeric azo dye was found to depend mainly on the number of sulfonic groups in the molecular chain, and the colouring of dye was comparatively rich in variety. A copolymer of acrylic chloride with methyl methacrylate was directly reacted with a dyestuff containing amino groups to give a polymeric dye. In the molecular chain of those polymeric dyes, the functional structure of the dyestuff was kept by its incorporation to the acrylic polymer chain.     

Computer-controlled microcirculatory support system for endothelial cell culture and shearing

Endothelial cells (ECs) lining the inner lumen of blood vessels are continuously subjected to hemodynamic shear stress, which is known to modify EC morphology and biological activity. This paper describes a self-contained microcirculatory EC culture system that efficiently studies such effects of shear stress on EC alignment and elongation in vitro. The culture system is composed of elastomeric microfluidic cell shearing chambers interfaced with computer-controlled movement of piezoelectric pins on a refreshable Braille display. The flow rate is varied by design of channels that allow for movement of different volumes of fluid per variable-speed pump stroke. The integrated microfluidic valving and pumping system allowed primary EC seeding and differential shearing in multiple compartments to be performed on a single chip. The microfluidic flows caused ECs to align and elongate significantly in the direction of flow according to their exposed levels of shear stress. This microfluidic system overcomes the small flow rates and the inefficiencies of previously described microfluidic and macroscopic systems respectively to conveniently perform parallel studies of EC response to shear stress.     

Development of a frequency-detuned interferometer as a prototype experiment for next-generation gravitational-wave detectors

We report on our prototype experiment that uses a 4-m detuned resonant sideband extraction interferometer with suspended mirrors, which has almost the same configuration as the next-generation, gravitational-wave detectors. We have developed a new control scheme and have succeeded in the operation of such an interferometer with suspended mirrors for the first time ever as far as we know. We believe that this is the first such instrument that can see the radiation pressure signal enhancement, which can improve the sensitivity of next-generation gravitational-wave detectors.     

Theory of magnetically polarizable superconductors

Superconductors containing a magnetically polarizable medium under an applied magnetic field are discussed theoretically. It is shown that instead of the Pauli limiting field found by Chandrasekhar and Clogston for nonmagnetic superconductors, the maximum critical field is limited by the effect of the susceptibility X_f due to the polarizable medium and is greatly reduced as X_f increases, indicating the appearance of the first-order phase transition from the superconducting to the normal state. The magnetic behavior of the ferromagnet superconductor ErRh₄B₄ under applied fields is analyzed in terms of this idea.     

Photo-induced electron transfer of a chlorophyll—liquid crystal electrode to water

A platinum plate was coated with a thin layer of chlorophyll and liquid crystal in order to make it photo-excitable. The chlorophyll—liquid crystal electrode immersed in water was found to shift its electrode potential to a more positive value on light irradiation. Furthermore light irradiation increased cathodic current. Liquid crystals such as N-(p-methoxybenzylidene)-p′-butylaniline markedly enhanced a photo-response in electrode potential and current. A prominent photo-response of the electrode appeared in an acidic solution around pH 4. A possibility of a direct electron transfer from a photo-excited chlorophyll—liquid crystal electrode to water, ie, photo-decomposition of water, is suggested.     

Comparative electron temperature measurements of Thomson scattering and electron cyclotron emission diagnostics in TCABR plasmas

We present the first simultaneous measurements of the Thomson scattering and electron cyclotron emission radiometer diagnostics performed at TCABR tokamak with Alfve?n wave heating. The Thomson scattering diagnostic is an upgraded version of the one previously installed at the ISTTOK tokamak, while the electron cyclotron emission radiometer employs a heterodyne sweeping radiometer. For purely Ohmic discharges, the electron temperature measurements from both diagnostics are in good agreement. Additional Alfve?n wave heating does not affect the capability of the Thomson scattering diagnostic to measure the instantaneous electron temperature, whereas measurements from the electron cyclotron emission radiometer become underestimates of the actual temperature values.     

Contrasting diurnal variations in fossil and nonfossil secondary organic aerosol in urban outflow, Japan

Diurnal variations of fossil secondary organic carbon (SOC) and nonfossil SOC were determined for the first time using a combination of several carbonaceous aerosol measurement techniques, including radiocarbon (1?C) determinations by accelerator mass spectrometry, and a receptor model (chemical mass balance, CMB) at a site downwind of Tokyo during the summer of 2007. Fossil SOC showed distinct diurnal variation with a maximum during daytime, whereas diurnal variation of nonfossil SOC was relatively small. This behavior was reproduced by a chemical transport model (CTM). However, the CTM underestimated the concentration of anthropogenic secondary organic aerosol (ASOA) by a factor of 4-7, suggesting that ASOA enhancement during daytime is not explained by production from volatile organic compounds that are traditionally considered major ASOA precursors. This result suggests that unidentified semivolatile organic compounds or multiphase chemistry may contribute largely to ASOA production. As our knowledge of production pathways of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is still limited, diurnal variations of fossil and nonfossil SOC in our estimate give an important experimental constraint for future development of SOA models.     

Marked Effect of Mo and Fe Addition Upon Liquid Phase Methanol Reforming with Water Over Al2O3 Supported Pt Catalysts

Successively impregnated Pt–Mo/Al₂O₃ and Pt–Fe/Al₂O₃ catalysts exhibited large enhancement effect in H₂ formation rate of liquid phase methanol reforming. Added Mo oxide forms monolayer on Al₂O₃ and facilitates the higher dispersion of Pt particles. In the case of Fe, formation of some surface bimetallic clusters between Pt and Fe was confirmed by XAS analysis, which causes the enhancement effect of H₂ formation in MeOH–H₂O reaction.