Flow characteristics of a small moving bed downcomer with an orifice under negative pressure gradient

Behaviour of gas-solid mixtures in a small moving bed downcomer operating under negative pressure gradient has been investigated experimentally, because flow characteristics in a downcomer are important factors in powder handling processes, such as a multi-stage spouted bed or a circulating fluidized bed. In this study, a small downcomer in which the moving bed height could be controlled was employed with the intention of using a downcomer as a connecting tube in a multi-stage spouted bed. Based on experimental observation, the moving bed flow changed from smooth flow (Region(I)) to slip-stick flow (Region(II)) and then changed from slip-stick flow to intermittent flow (Regime(III)), as the gas pressure gradient in the downcomer was increased. In this study, the critical point for steady-state (Region(I)) operation was also examined experimentally and theoretically, by using eight kinds of solid particles (Geldart B, D and A powders) and six different orifice sizes which were used to restrict solids flow at the base of the downcomer. As a result, a correlation of solids flow rate in the stable moving bed downcomer under negative pressure gradient was derived and the critical point between stable and unstable flow was explained by the proposed model.     

Effects of phase changes on reflection and their wavelength dependence in optical profilometry

The method as well as an appropriate instrumentation for measuring phase changes of reflected light is described. The phase changes on samples of Au, Al, Ag, and Cr evaporated films are measured for five wavelengths (lambda) from 442 to 633 nm, with respect to the phase change at the glass-air interface, where it should be zero. The measured results for the Au film are in fairly good agreement with values calculated by use of optical constants from a handbook or the complex refractive index measured by an ellipsometer. The phase changes for Al and Ag films are different from calculated values by ~5 degrees or a shift length of 4.4 nm at lambda = 633 nm, while those of the Cr film show large shifts as high as 16 degrees or a shift length of 9.8 nm at lambda = 442 nm.     

High-Performance Nonvolatile Organic Photonic Transistor Memory Devices using Conjugated Rod–Coil Materials as a Floating Gate

A novel approach for using conjugated rod–coil materials as a floating gate in the fabrication of nonvolatile photonic transistor memory devices, consisting of n-type Sol-PDI and p-type C10-DNTT, is presented. Sol-PDI and C10-DNTT are used as dual functions of charge-trapping (conjugated rod) and tunneling (insulating coil), while n-type BPE-PDI and p-type DNTT are employed as the corresponding transporting layers. By using the same conjugated rod in the memory layer and transporting channel with a self-assembled structure, both n-type and p-type memory devices exhibit a fast response, a high current contrast between “Photo-On” and “Electrical-Off” bistable states over 10⁵, and an extremely low programing driving force of 0.1 V. The fabricated photon-driven memory devices exhibit a quick response to different wavelengths of light and a broadband light response that highlight their promising potential for light-recorder and synaptic device applications.     

Detection of fluorescence from a mixed specimen consisting of micro particles attached to different fluorescent substances using a light waveguide incorporated optical TAS

A “ubiquitous human health care system” will require a monolithic optical total analysis system (TAS) consisting of waveguides and microfluidic channels based on a transparent resin chip. Together with the rapid development of the fluorescent marking method, fluorescence analysis by TAS of mixed-microparticle specimen attached to different fluorescent substances will be necessary. Towards realization of this, we here propose a novel method for using a part of the fluorescence acquired by irradiating microparticles with AC-modulated laser power as light dedicated to the discrimination of fluorescent substances. Since the light power for discrimination was extremely weak, we extracted effective signal components using a lock-in detection method. Then, by comparison with the signal of the original fluorescence, we could determine whether the fluorescence signal was from the microparticles attached to the fluorescent substance to be discriminated. Using a mixed specimen composed of microparticle-attached fluorescent substances with emission peaks of 520 nm and 600 nm, we found that 10% of the acquired fluorescence could successfully determine the specified fluorescent substance as a discrimination signal. The peak value of the discrimination signal was approximately double the amplitude of the stationary noise in the discrimination signal.

     

Synthesis and Characterization of Cellulose Carbamates Having α-Amino Acid Moieties

Summary The reaction of cellulose with N-carbonyl α-amino acid ester 1 leading to cellulose carbamate 2 was carried out in N,N-dimethylacetamide at 100 °C. For N-carbonyl L-leucine ethyl ester (1a), the degree of the carbamate substituent (DS) in 2a was 2.5 for [1a]/[glucose units in cellulose] = 3.0 and reached ca. 3.0 for [1a]/[glucose units in cellulose] = 4.0. Cellulose carbamate 2a was highly soluble in not only aprotic polar solvents but also other organic solvents such as ethyl ether and methyl alcohol. The chiral discrimination ability of 2a was higher than those of the cellulose carbamates having L-phenylalanine and L-aspartic acid moieties.     

A unimolecular nanocapsule: Encapsulation property of amphiphilic polymer based on hyperbranched polythreitol

Hyperbranched polythreitol (1) with different molecular weights (M_w,SLS: 1.18 × 10⁴ and 4.79 × 10⁴) was reacted with trityl chloride in DMF to afford a novel amphiphilic polymer (2) consisting of 1 as the hydrophilic core and the trityl groups as the hydrophobic shell. Compound 2 was tested for its ability to act as a unimolecular nanocapsule toward the water-soluble dye, rose bengal (RB). Their encapsulation and release properties were also evaluated by comparison with the degree of substitution (DS) of the trityl groups, i.e., the hydrophobic shell density. The polymers were found to have very good unimolecular nanocapsule characteristics even at extremely low concentrations. The average number of RBs per polymer molecule depended on the hydrophilic core size and the hydrophobic shell density. The increasing DS value led to a decrease in the encapsulated amount due to the decrease in the hydrophilic core space, while the low DS value (less than ca. 20 mol%) led to a destabilization as a unimolecular nanocapsule and a lower encapsulation ability. In particular, 2 with ca. 23% DS value showed an efficient encapsulation. Based on a release test of the RB-loaded unimolecular nanocapsules, the polymers showed a high RB-holding ability in water.     

Purification and characterization of enzyme responsible for N-myristoylation of octapeptide in aqueous solution without ATP and coenzyme a from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The enzyme that catalyzes N-acyl linkage between myristic acid and the NH(2)-terminal glycine residue of the octapeptide Gly-Asn-Ala-Ala-Ala-Ala-Arg-Arg-NH(2) in aqueous solution without ATP and coenzyme A was found in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The enzyme was purified from cell-free crude extract using DEAE-Cellulose, Sephadex G-200, CM-Sephadex C-50, and hydroxyapatite column chromatographies, and then purified approximately 1900-fold with about 1.5% recovery of enzyme activity from the crude extract. Finally, the purified enzyme showed a main band on SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis after staining with Coomassie Brilliant Blue. The band corresponded to a molecular mass of approximately 60 kDa. The K(m)s of the purified enzyme for the substrate myristic acid and the octapeptide were 0.36 and 2.6 mM, respectively. When myristoyl-CoA instead of myristic acid was used as the substrate for the enzyme reaction, myristoyl octapeptide could be synthesized as observed in the case of myristic acid. The K(m) of myristoyl-CoA was 0.17 mM.     

Inhibition of DNA polymerase λ by glucosyl compounds from soybean (Glycine max L.) and their associated inflammatory activity

During the screening of selective DNA polymerase (pol) inhibitors, we isolated two glucosyl compounds, a cerebroside (glucosyl ceramide, AS-1-4, compound 1) and a steroidal glycoside (eleutheroside A, compound 2) from soybean (Glycine max L.). Compounds 1 and 2 selectively inhibited the activity of eukaryotic pol λ in vitro, with IC₅₀ values of 12.2 and 9.1 μM, respectively. These compounds did not influence the activities of other eukaryotic pols including those from the A-family (pol γ), B-family (pols α, δ and ε), and Y-family (pols η, ι and κ), and also showed no effect on the activity of pol β which is of the same family (X) as pol λ. The tendency for in vitro pol λ inhibition by these compounds showed a positive correlation with the in vivo suppression of TPA (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate)-induced inflammation in mouse ear. These results suggest that these glucosyl compounds from soybean may be useful for their anti-inflammatory properties.     

Temperature dependence for anammox bacteria enriched from freshwater sediments

The anoxic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process has been regarded as an attractive alternative process to treat wastewater containing high ammonium concentrations. By the implementation of anammox process at moderately low temperatures (<25°C), the anammox process will be applied to more various industrial wastewater treatments. In this study, we established enrichment cultures of anammox bacteria from freshwater sediments by using an up-flow column reactor equipped with porous polyester nonwoven fabric at moderately low temperatures. Their nitrogen conversion rates reached 0.07-0.26kg-N/m(3)/d. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene from enrichment cultures revealed the presence of various anammox bacteria affiliated with unknown anammox bacteria as well as known anammox candidates, i.e., Candidatus Kuenenia stuttgartiensis and Candidatus Brocadia fulgida, Candidatus Scalindua wagneri. Anammox bacterial populations were influenced by enrichment conditions, i.e., seed sediments and temperature.     

Study of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations and measurement of hole effective mass in compressively strained InXGa1−XSb quantum wells

In_XGa_1−XSb has the highest hole mobility amongst all III-V semiconductors which can be enhanced further with the use of strain. The use of confinement and strain in In_XGa_1−XSb quantum wells lifts the degeneracy between the light and heavy hole bands which leads to reduction in the hole effective mass in the lowest occupied band and an increase in the mobility. We present magnetotransport measurements on compressively strained In_XGa_1−XSb and GaSb quantum wells. Hall-bar and Van de Pauw structures were fabricated and Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in the temperature range of T = 2-10 K for magnetic fields of B = 0-9 T were measured. The reduction of effective hole mass with strain was quantified. These results are in excellent agreement with modeling results from band structure calculations of the effective hole mass in the presence of strain and confinement.