Basic experiments during loss of vacuum event (LOVE) in fusion experimental reactor

If a loss of vacuum event (LOVE) occurs due to damage of the vacuum vessel of a nuclear fusion experimental reactor, some chemical reactions such as a graphic oxidation and a buoyancy-driven exchange flow take place after equalization of the gas pressure between the inside and outside of the vacuum vessel. The graphite oxidation would generate inflammable carbon monoxide and release tritium retained in the graphite. The exchange flow through the breaches may transport the carbon monoxide and tritium out of the vacuum vessel. To add confidence to the safety evaluations and analyses, it is important to grasp the basic phenomena such as the exchange flow and the graphite oxidation. Experiments of the exchange flow and the graphite oxidation were carried out to obtain the exchange flow rate and the rate constant for the carbon monoxide combustion, respectively. These experimental results were compared with existing correlations. We plan a scaled-model test and a full-scale model test for the LOVE.     

Pleiotropic Effects of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors: Renoprotective Mechanisms beyond Glycemic Control

Diabetes mellitus is a major cause of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. However, the management of chronic kidney disease, particularly diabetes, requires vast improvements. Recently, sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, originally developed for the treatment of diabetes, have been shown to protect against kidney injury via glycemic control, as well as various other mechanisms, including blood pressure and hemodynamic regulation, protection from lipotoxicity, and uric acid control. As such, regulation of these mechanisms is recommended as an effective multidisciplinary approach for the treatment of diabetic patients with kidney disease. Thus, SGLT2 inhibitors are expected to become key drugs for treating diabetic kidney disease. This review summarizes the recent clinical evidence pertaining to SGLT2 inhibitors as well as the mechanisms underlying their renoprotective effects. Hence, the information contained herein will advance the current understanding regarding the pleiotropic effects of SGLT2 inhibitors, while promoting future research in the field.     

Modeling and analysis of hydrogen production in steam methane reforming (SMR) process

Hydrogen is one a gas that demands continue to grow across many industries. Due to the growth for this gas the means of producing it and the ability to supply this demand is of great importance. As a result of this, steam methane reforming is a process of high significance as it is one of the most economically and popular means of producing hydrogen. The value of this process is tremendous as it is able to provide up to 48% of global demands, with this only predicted to increase. Therefore, the understanding of what occurs during this process and the steps that it experiences must be understood to ensure that an efficient system is created.

Steam methane reforming operates by converting the hydrocarbons located in methane into hydrogen and CO_x. This process will generally occur over two different stages, a reformer stage, before going into a water-gas shift reactor. After these main processes occur the product produced may undergo purification to remove any containments and ensuring that the hydrogen is at the industry standard. To help investigate this process and how various stages affect others it can be modeled through software such as Unisim which allows modifications to be made and analyzed the effect this had on the system, allowing a potential more efficient system to be designed which will help meet the growing demand.     

Ductile‐to‐brittle transition behavior of low molecular weight polycarbonate under carbon dioxide

We investigated the stress–strain behavior of low molecular weight polycarbonate for optical disc grade (OD‐PC) under carbon dioxide (CO₂) at various pressures, and compared the results with that under ambient pressure at various temperatures. Elongation at break decreased sharply with increased CO₂ pressure at around 2 MPa, while the elastic modulus decreased gradually up to 6 MPa. These results indicate that the tensile property changed from ductile to brittle with increased CO₂ pressure, although the molecular motion is accelerated due to the plasticization effect of CO₂. Such ductile‐to‐brittle transition is similar to that observed under elevated temperatures caused by chain disentanglement due to accelerated molecular motion. Although the changes of tensile properties were similar, the craze structure obtained by the brittle behavior was different, i.e., a filamented‐craze structure was obtained under high‐pressure CO₂, while a lace‐like one was obtained under elevated temperatures. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2017. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Levels of copper in the urine of women from nonpolluted farming regions of Japan.

Nearly 1500 spot urine samples were collected in the winter of 1987-1988 from women of seven farming prefectures located throughout Japan. Samples were analyzed for copper by flameless atomic absorption spectrometry. The copper content of the urine samples (Cu-U) distributed log-normally with a geometric mean (geometric standard deviation) of 36.9 (1.47) micrograms/l after adjustment for the specific gravity of urine of 1.016. The 95% confidence range was 17.1-79.7 micrograms/l. Neither alcohol consumption nor smoking habit affected the Cu-U. A literature survey showed that the observed level appears to be somewhat higher than previously reported values.     

Production of extracellular bifidogenic growth stimulator by anaerobic and aerobic cultivations of several propionibacterial strains

Production of a bifidogenic growth stimulator (BGS) by propionic acid bacteria was investigated under anaerobic and aerobic culture conditions. To measure the concentration of extracellular BGS produced by propionic acid bacteria, we evaluated the effects of bioassay conditions using Bifidobacterium longum as a test microorganism on the formation of a growth-stimulation zone. The diameter of the growth-stimulation zone was significantly affected by both the component concentrations and the pH of a bioassay medium. The optimum component concentrations and pH of a bioassay medium were one-half of the normal values and 8.5, respectively. Using the bioassay method, we can measure the concentration of BGS produced by propionic acid bacteria ranging in concentrations from 0.1 microg/l to 1 mg/l using 1,4-dihydroxy-2-naphthoic acid (DHNA) and 2-amino-3-carboxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (ACNQ) as standards. Of six dairy propionic acid bacterial strains tested, the four strains (Propionibacterium freudenreichii ET-3, P. shermanii PZ-3, P. acidipropionici JCM 6432, and P. jensenii JCM 6433) produced BGS at a concentration range of 4-23 mg/l under the anaerobic culture conditions. Analysis of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed that more than 70% of total BGS produced in supernatant samples was DHNA and no ACNQ was produced by the strains. The effect of oxygen supply on BGS production was investigated for the four BGS-producing strains. The aerobic conditions exerted in positive effects on BGS production by only P. acidipropionici JCM 6432. The concentration of BGS obtained in the aerobic cultivation of P. acidipropionici JCM 6432 was 1.3-fold than that in anaerobic cultivation. Different properties (BGS production as well as cell growth and glucose metabolism) occurring in response to the aerobic conditions were observed, depending on the propionic acid bacterial strain used. This paper is the first report on BGS production by propionibacterial strains except for P. freudenreichii.     

Dynamic control of the Q factor in a photonic crystal nanocavity

High-quality (Q) factor photonic-crystal nanocavities are currently the focus of much interest because they can strongly confine photons in a tiny space. Nanocavities with ultrahigh Q factors of up to 2,000,000 and modal volumes of a cubic wavelength have been realized. If the Q factor could be dynamically controlled within the lifetime of a photon, significant advances would be expected in areas of physics and engineering such as the slowing and/or stopping of light and quantum-information processing. For these applications, the transfer, storage and exchange of photons in nanocavity systems on such a timescale are highly desirable. Here, we present the first demonstration of dynamic control of the Q factor, by constructing a system composed of a nanocavity, a waveguide with nonlinear optical response and a photonic-crystal hetero-interface mirror. The Q factor of the nanocavity was successfully changed from approximately 3,000 to approximately 12,000 within picoseconds.