Reflection at transparent V-grooved surface

Reflection at transparent V-grooved surface was studied on the basis of geometrical analysis and ray tracing using Fresnel's formulas. For normally incident light, the reflectivity at the V-grooved surface of tilt angles between 0° and 30° and between 45° and 54° are approximated by the reflectivities and the squared reflectivities, respectively, at a smooth surface. For obliquely incident light, the V-grooved surface is effective to reduce the reflectivity at large angle of incidence by reducing the actual angle of striking the surface. In addition, the V-grooved surface of large tilt angle reduces the reflectivity at a small angle of incidence due to multiple reflections between adjacent opposite surfaces of the groove. The daily average reflectivity monotonically decreases with increasing tilt angle from 30° to its upper limit (59.1° for n=1.5) in the analysis. When normally incident light enters the layer and a part of it reflects at the rear surface, the escape from the upper surface can be prevented by serial total internal reflections at the upper surface of medium tilt angle (30.9°–41.0° for n=1.5).     

Determination of vedaprofen in livestock products and seafoods by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A novel liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for the trace residue determination of vedaprofen (VPF) in livestock products and seafoods. VPF was extracted from each sample with acidified acetone, and the crude extract was re-extracted with ethyl acetate and NaCl solution. Clean-up was performed using a weak anion exchange cartridge (Bond Elut DEA). The LC separation was performed on a C18 column using acetonitrile-0.0025 mol/L formic acid (3 : 2) as the mobile phase and MS was run in the negative ion electrospray ionization mode. The calibration curve was linear in the range of 0.001-0.1 μg/mL VPF. The mean recoveries from equine muscle, cattle muscle, cattle liver, cattle fat, salmon, eel, corbicula, milk, egg and buckwheat honey were 72-94%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 1.1-2.0%. Limits of quantitation (LOQs) ranged from 0.001 to 0.007 μg/g.     

Resveratrol derivative-rich melinjo (Gnetum gnemon L.) seed extract suppresses multiple angiogenesis-related endothelial cell functions and tumor angiogenesis

Angiogenesis is a promising target for cancer prevention and treatment. This study aimed to determine the antiangiogenic effects of melinjo (Gnetum gnemon L.) seed extract and its resveratrol derivative components, such as gnetin C (GC), gnetin L (GL), gnemonoside A (GMA), gnemonoside C (GMC), and gnemonoside D (GMD). An ethanol extract of melinjo seeds (EEMS) and the two gnetins markedly inhibited the proliferation and tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) stimulated with vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor. The inhibitory effects of GC and GL were much stronger than those of resveratrol. GMC and GMD inhibited only proliferation, whereas GMA had almost no effect on the two endothelial cell functions. The EEMS and GC also reduced the cell viability of tube-forming HUVEC, with accompanying ERK1/2 inactivation, and suppressed the migration of HUVEC. Furthermore, dietary intake of EEMS significantly inhibited tumor angiogenesis in a mouse dorsal air sac assay. In conclusion, we found that the EEMS and its resveratrol derivatives, particularly GC, suppress multiple angiogenesis-related endothelial cell functions and/or tumor angiogenesis, indicating that the melinjo seeds and the natural resveratrol derivatives may be useful for cancer prevention and treatment.     

Cloning and heterologous expression of a glucodextranase gene from Arthrobacter globiformis I42, and experimental evidence for the catalytic diad of the recombinant enzyme

The gene encoding a glucodextranase from Arthrobacter globiformis I42 was cloned and, subsequently, heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. This glucodextranase gene consists of 1048 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 109,135 Da. The roles of two residues at the active site of A. globiformis I42 glucodextranase were examined by site-directed mutagenesis. Glutamic acid residues 458 and 656, which are part of the apparent catalytic residues, were found to be essential for hydrolase activity.     

A new apparatus for measuring total hemispherical emittance of surfaces at room temperature

Radiation heat transfer is an important mode of heat transfer even in our life space at room temperature. Such radiation heat transfer is evaluated mostly by calculating the radiation energy exchange among surfaces in an enclosure. For this evaluation, knowledge of the hemispherical emittances of the constituent life surfaces is needed. However, there has not been a suitable technique for measuring the emittance of each surface in the life space at room temperature. In the present work we develop a new apparatus for measuring total hemispherical emittances of real surfaces at room temperature. The apparatus consists of a total radiation flux meter and a Peltier element cooler to cool the flux meter surface from the back, and measure the net total radiation flux from the specimen surface to the surrounding surfaces to determine the total hemispherical emittance of the specimen surface. This apparatus is effective to measure total hemispherical emittances of surfaces at room temperature on site. We apply the developed apparatus to measure the total hemispherical emittances of various surfaces in the life space, such as metals, human skin, cloth, floor mat, wood, glass, brick tile, stone, cement, plant leaves, etc., and demonstrate the feasibility of the apparatus. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/htj ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20349     

Coal liquefaction using indene-tetralin and indene-decalin mixtures as solvent

Indene-tetralin and indene-decalin mixtures were used as the solvent for coal liquefaction. The effect of mixing on conversion for Yallourn coal was observed under nitrogen pressure at 400 and 440 °C. Conversion to benzene-soluble material in an indene-decalin mixture (50:50, wt) at 440 °C for 1 h was 73.0% and was only 9% lower than that in 100% tetralin. The reaction of indene with tetralin or decalin may provide the active species for coal dissolution. Simultaneously, coal radicals may be scavenged by indene.     

New amphoteric surfactants derived from lysine. I. Preparation and properties of Nε-acyllysine derivatives-acyllysine derivatives

New amphoteric surfactants were prepared from N^ε-acyllysine which was obtained by the thermal dehydration of a higher fatty acid salt of lysine and was not soluble in water. N^α,N^α-dimethyl-N^ε-acyllysine was prepared by the catalytic reductive condensation of N^ε-acyllysine ester with formaldehyde in good yield. N^α,N^α,N^α-trimethyl-N^ε-acyllysine was obtained from the reaction of N^α,N^α-dimethyl-N^ε-acyllysine ester with methyl iodide. Confirmation of the structure of these derivatives was obtained by spectrometric and spectroscopic analyses. The solubility of N^ε-acyllysine was improved significantly by the introduction of N^α-methyl groups. Physicochemical and surface active properties of the derivatives were investigated in terms of isoelectric points, dissolution temperatures, surface tensions, critical micelle concentrations (cmc), foaming properties and wetting powers. N^α,N^α,N^α-trimethyl-N^ε-acyllysine had lower dissolution temperatures than N^α,N^α-dimethyl-N^ε-acyllysine. The latter showed lower surface tensions than the former at cmc. N^α,N^α-dimethyl-N^ε-lauroyllysine was best in wetting power and foaming property.     

Complete oxidation of active carbon at low temperatures by composite catalysts

The reaction between oxygen and active carbon was studied at 500°C. Various composite catalysts having an iron-group metal as the main component were supported on active carbon. The synergistic effect of the oxidation activity was widely observed in the composite metal-metal oxide catalyst/carbon system. Several active carbons were studied in this catalyzed oxidation and the oxidation rate decreased with decreasing surface area of carbon materials. The rate-determining step of this reaction was considered to be the surface-diffusion rate of oxygen. Enhancement of oxygen transmission by active composite catalysts resulted in promotion of the reaction.     

On the separation of physical and chemical component of stress relaxation

This paper proposes a new method to separate physical and chemical components of stress relaxation. The stress relaxation measurements of tetrafluoroethylene-propylene rubber were carried out at various temperatures ranging from 200° to 310°C. A physical stress relaxation master curve could be generated from data of early period of time by the time-temperature superposition principle. The rate of physical stress decay at given temperatures was calculated from the master curve. The rate of chemical stress relaxation was given by subtracting the rate of physical decay from experimentally obtained rate at the corresponding temperatures. The activation energy was found to be 8.4 kcal mol^?1 for the rates of the calculated chemical stress relaxation, while it was found to be 5.7 kcal mol^?1 for the rates which were obtained in air. The results show that the physical component of stress decay should be subtracted from the measured stress relaxation curve to obtain the rate of chemical stress decay, especially at the low temperature.