Status of ion sources at National Institute of Radiological Sciences

The National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) maintains various ion accelerators in order to study the effects of radiation of the human body and medical uses of radiation. Two electrostatic tandem accelerators and three cyclotrons delivered by commercial companies have offered various life science tools; these include proton-induced x-ray emission analysis (PIXE), micro beam irradiation, neutron exposure, and radioisotope tracers and probes. A duoplasmatron, a multicusp ion source, a penning ion source (PIG), and an electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) are in operation for these purposes. The Heavy-Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC) is an accelerator complex for heavy-ion radiotherapy, fully developed by NIRS. HIMAC is utilized not only for daily treatment with the carbon beam but also for fundamental experiments. Several ECRISs and a PIG at HIMAC satisfy various research and clinical requirements.     

Ultrafiltration recovery of alginate: Membrane fouling mitigation by multivalent metal ions and properties of recycled materials

Recovery of alginate extracted from aerobic granular sludge (AGS) has given rise to a novel research direction. However, these extracted alginate solutions have a water content of nearly 100%. Alternately, ultrafiltration (UF) is generally used for concentration of polymers. Furthermore, the introduction of multivalent metal ions into alginate may provide a promising method for the development of novel nanomaterials. In this study, membrane fouling mitigation by multivalent metal ions, both individually and in combination, and properties of recycled materials were investigated for UF recovery of sodium alginate (SA). The filtration resistance showed a significantly negative correlation with the concentration of metal ions, arranged in the order of Mg²⁺ < Ca²⁺ < Fe³⁺ < Al³⁺ (filtration resistance mitigation), and the moisture content of recycled filter cake showed a marked decrease. For Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Fe³⁺, and Ca²⁺+Fe³⁺, the filtration resistances were almost the same when the total charge concentration was less than 5 mmol·L^-1. However, when the total charge concentration was greater than 5 mmol·L^-1, membrane fouling mitigation increased significantly in the presence of Ca²⁺ or Fe³⁺ and remained constant for Mg²⁺ with the increase of total charge concentration. The filtration resistance mitigation was arranged in the order of Fe³⁺ > Fe³⁺ + Ca²⁺ > Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺. Three mechanisms were proposed in the presence of Fe³⁺, such as the decrease of SA concentration, change in pH, and production of hydroxide iron colloids from hydrolysis. The properties of recycled materials (filter cake) were investigated via optical microscope observation, dynamic light scattering, Fourier transform infrared, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy. The results provide further insight into UF recoveries of alginate extracted from AGS.     

Enzymatic synthesis of N-acyl-l-amino acids in a glycerol-water system using acylase I from pig kidney

N-Medium- and long-chain acyl-l-amino acids were enzymatically synthesized from the corresponding l-amino acids and fatty acids using a reverse hydrolysis. Enzymes that are suitable for the synthetic reaction of N-acyl-l-amino acids were screened on the basis of hydrolytic activity toward N-lauroyl-l-glutamic acid as an indicator. Acylase I from pig kidney (EC 3.5.1.14) showed the highest N-acyl-l-amino acid hydrolytic activity among 57 commercially available enzymes tested. Acylase I effectively catalyzed the synthesis of N-lauroyl-l-amino acids except for N-lauroyl-l-proline and N-lauroyl-l-tyrosine in a glycerol-water system. Under the optimized reaction conditions, N-lauroyl-l-arginine and N-lauroyl-l-glutamic acid were obtained in conversions of 82 and 44%, respectively. The equilibrium constants calculated from the conversion obtained were 5.6, 15.4, 18.0, and 39.4 for the syntheses of N-lauroyl-l-glutamic acid, N_α-lauroyl-l-lysine, N-lauroyl-l-glutamine, and N-lauroyl-l-methionine, respectively. N-Acyl-l-arginines with myristic acid and palmitic acid as the fatty acid were also synthesized using acylase I.     

Hydrogen-induced phase transformation

Hydrogen-induced amorphization (HIA) of intermetallic compounds was simulated by the molecular dynamics (MD) method using pairwise potentials. The microscopic mechanism of HIA in AB₂ C15 Laves phase compound is discussed. The hydrogenation causes elastic softening in the bulk modulus and induces elastic instability. A phase transformation by elastic instability follows paths with minimal activation barriers, and nonequilibrium transformations including amorphization can be realized. The HIA can be considered as a case. The key to induce HIA is the expansion of the B atoms in a Laves phase; it facilitates the instability of the sublattice of B atoms. If the amount of hydrogen exceeds a critical value, HIA occurs. The HIA is a potential-driven phase transformation, and the resultant amorphous structure is potentially favored over the hydrogenated crystal. We also report the fracture process by isotropic loading and compare it to HIA.     

Visualization of PWM Strategy for a Direct Matrix Converter During Input and Output Voltage Periods

This paper presents a visualization of the PWM strategy of a matrix converter during input and output voltage periods. General relations for the duty cycles based on the input current references and the output voltage references are derived. Because the input current references and the output voltage references are treated as continuous values in the time domain, the PWM strategy can be extended to the input and output voltage periods from the control period treated as constant values. At a low carrier frequency compared with the actual frequency, the PWM patterns that reduce the number of commutations for switching loss reduction can be visualized. The PWM strategy can be directly evaluated by using the waveforms of the input current and the output voltage. In the transient state with change of the output voltage reference, the output voltage and input current can be visualized. The effectiveness of the visualization of the PWM strategy has been verified by comparison with the experimental waveforms.     

Activated air plasma flow generated by pulsed arc discharge for combustion enhancement

Important operating parameters, temperature characteristics and radical production in an air plasma flow generated by a low-power pulsed arc discharge were experimentally clarified for lean combustion enhancement and surface treatment. Furthermore, the time-dependent thermofluid field downstream from the torch was also clarified numerically and the downstream temperature well agreed with experimental data. Finally, the time evolution of production and decay of the chemical species in air plasma were clarified numerically under a high electric field.     

Study on condensation heat transfer characteristics of wet paper in steam heating process

Effects of suction pressure and permeability on the steam heating characteristics of the wet paper are studied. Experimental results show that suction pressure enhances the energy absorption in the wet paper and effects of suction pressure strongly appear in the high-permeability paper, and also absorbed energy rate is decreased with increasing in heating time. From the numerical simulation results it is found that increase in moisture content and decrease of pressure gradient reduce the absorbed energy rate. Dimensionless numbers are derived from the basic equations to summarize the experimental and numerical simulation results.     

Transient rolling behaviour of a slider supported by two rollers

A rolling element has a spring characteristic in the transient displacement region from the stationary state to a continuous rolling motion. For this reason, a bearing having a rolling element is useful for constructing an ultra-precision positioning device. In this paper, a mechanism for the damping capacity generation of a rolling element is investigated, to improve the dynamic characteristic of this positioning device. A stage supported by two rollers is constructed, and its tangential displacement is measured accurately when the driving force is acting. As a result, it is confirmed that the rolling element has a nonlinear spring characteristic. Energy loss is generated by the reciprocating motion of the stage in the transient displacement region. This is the main cause of the damping capacity. Furthermore, this energy loss or damping capacity of the stage can be improved by using two rollers with different diameters.