Dynamically controlled fibrillation under combination of ionic liquid with mechanical grinding

Combination of mortar grinder mill (MG) and ionic liquid (IL) treatment was employed in order to fibrillate fibers from oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF) in one‐step. The structural changes of OPMF before and after the treatment were examined by Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transformed infrared (FT‐IR) spectra, Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Compared with the only use of 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMIM[BF₄]), combination of MG and IL helped to remove hemicellulose and lignin components partially from OPMF, and also fibrillated OPMF fibers at average particle diameter of 127 nm. Afterwards, the fibrillated fibers were utilized as reinforcement material for the purpose of enhancement of mechanical properties of poly(?‐caprolactone)(PCL). The addition of OPMF treated with the combined method led to a 64% increase in tensile strength in comparison with that of untreated OPMF. These results indicate that the combined method enables effective fibrillation. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 44469.     

Porous alumina ceramics for slip casting molds

Although a slip cast process using a gypsum mold enables large and complicated dense green body to be made, the green body is contaminated with calcium and sulfur impurities from the gypsum mold. In the case of a resin mold, external pressure must be applied due to its poor water wettability. Porous alumina ceramics are used as a mold material for the first time to overcome these problems. The porous alumina ceramics show higher water wettability than gypsum or resin. The porous alumina molds have submicron pores, and provide larger penetration pressure and higher casting rate than gypsum molds.     

Modular Church-Rosser Modulo:The Complete Picture

In Ref.[19], Toyama proved that the union of two confluent term-rewriting systems that share absolutely no function symbols or constants is likewise confluent, a property called modularity. The proof of this beautiful modularity result, technically based on slicing terms into an homogeneous cap and a so called alien, possibly heterogeneous substitution,was later substantially simplified in Refs.[8,12]. In this paper, we present a further simplification of the proof of Toyama's result for confluence, which shows that the crux of the problem lies on two di?erent properties: a cleaning lemma, whose goal is to anticipate the application of collapsing reductions and a modularity property of ordered completion that allows to pairwise match the caps and alien substitutions of two equivalent terms obtained from the cleaning lemma. The approach allows for arbitrary kinds of rules, and scales up to rewriting modulo arbitrary sets of equations.     

Aberrant expression of glycosylation in juvenile gastrointestinal stromal tumors

Most adult gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are thought to be caused by activating mutations in the KIT or PDGFRA gene. However, many juvenile GIST lack either mutation and are considered to develop with a different pathogenesis. To investigate the molecular characteristics of juvenile GIST, we analyzed the proteome difference in phosphorylated protein between adult and juvenile GIST. Eleven GIST samples (seven adult cases and four juvenile cases lacking either mutation) were analyzed by using immunostaining and LC-MS/MS. Comparative analysis of tyrosine-phosphorylated protein levels showed that juvenile GIST possessed phosphorylated KIT in spite of lacking mutation in the KIT gene. Moreover, downstream signals of KIT were also activated as in adult GIST. Although, SDS-PAGE gels showed that there was a difference of each KIT bands between adult and juvenile GIST, they became the same after removal of N-glycans or sialic acids. Moreover, one of the most typical enzymes, ST6Gal1, which transfers Neu5Ac residues in α2-6 linkage to Gal β1-4GlcNAc units on N-glycans, is significantly less expressed in juvenile GIST. This suggests that the difference in KIT is generated by post-translational modification and may play a role in the progression of juvenile GIST.     

Conversion of chemical into mechanical energy by contractile polymers performed by polymer complexation

A mechanochemical energy conversion system working upon polymer-polymer complexation between poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was studied. It was found that among PEGs of various molecular weights used, PEG with molecular weight of 2000 provided the most rapid and significant contraction of crosslinked PMAA membrane loaded 100 times the weight of dry membrane, exhibiting about 2000 g/cm² of stress. Increasing and decreasing the molecular weight of PEG from 2000 brought about gradual decrease both in the contraction and stress of the membrane. The work done per contraction per gramme of contractile substance was studied for various loads. It was found that the work done increased linearly with increasing weight of load, reaching 200 g cm.     

Peptide Nucleic Acid Conjugated with Ruthenium‐Complex Stabilizing Double‐Duplex Invasion Complex Even under Physiological Conditions

Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) can form a stable duplex with DNA, and, accordingly, directly recognize double‐stranded DNA through the formation of a double‐duplex invasion complex, wherein a pair of complementary PNA strands form two PNA/DNA duplexes. Because invasion does not require prior denaturation of DNA, PNA holds great potential for in cellulo or in vivo applications. To broaden the applicability of PNA invasion, we developed a new conjugate of PNA with a ruthenium complex. This Ru–PNA conjugate exhibits higher DNA‐binding affinity, which results in enhanced invasion efficiency, even under physiological conditions.     

Correction of bottom influence in ocean colour satellite images of shallow water areas of the Baltic Sea

Ocean colour satellite measurements are mainly disturbed by the atmosphere, the sea surface and the sea bottom in shallow water areas. In such areas special features of bottom topography can be recognized in satellite images of the visible spectrum and the derived concentrations of water constituents are often misinterpreted. The influence of the sea bottom depends on the water depth, the transmission of the water column, the reflectance of the water, the reflectivity of the bottom materials and the used spectral channels of satellite sensors. The influence of the sea bottom on the spectral reflectance at the sea surface is discussed here on the basis of model computations. The calculations are realized for examples of shallow water areas of the Baltic Sea. Furthermore, a technique for the identification of sea bottom disturbed pixels in satellite images and for the elimination of bottom effects is presented. A linear regression analysis between the bottom depth and the spectral reflectance in the different satellite sensor channels is used in order to test the correlation between these two variables. If a relationship exists, the reflectances have to be corrected. This procedure and the elimination of the bottom influence will be explained for specific satellite systems.     

Process intensification using a two‐phase system and micromixing for consecutive and reversible reactions

This study aimed to find reaction conditions that improve the yield of target intermediate products, using a two‐phase system and a microspace for first‐order consecutive and reversible reactions. As a result, the yield of target products with a two‐phase system can be surpassed by that of a single‐phase system through selecting the organic phase such that the partition coefficient of the raw material to the aqueous phase is large, and that of the target product to the organic phase is also large. In addition, the volume ratio of two phases and the liquid–liquid interfacial area are also important factors for improving the target product yield. In a microspace, the microfluid segments can be designed both arbitrarily and precisely, and thus it is possible to control the interfacial area and mass transfer rates accurately. Utilization of a microspace can play a significant role in intensifying a two‐phase system. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009     

Physical and electrochemical properties of room-temperature dicyanamide ionic liquids based on quaternary phosphonium cations

The physicochemical and electrochemical properties of room temperature ionic liquids based on quaternary phosphonium cations together with a dicyanamide anion are presented in this report. The most dicyanamide-based phosphonium ionic liquids prepared were hydrophilic, except ionic liquids containing a long alkyl chain in the phosohonium cation. It was found that asymmetric phosphonium cations gave low-melting salts in combination with a dicyanamide anion. The dicyanamide-based phosphonium ionic liquids exhibited relatively low viscosities and high conductivities when compared to those of the corresponding ammonium ionic liquids. Particularly, the ionic liquids containing a methoxy group in the phosphonium cations indicated very low viscosities. Comparatively good electrochemical stability of the dicyanamide-based phosphonium ionic liquids was confirmed by voltammetric measurements. The thermogravimetric analysis suggested that the dicyanamide-based phosphonium ionic liquids showed higher thermal stability than those of the corresponding ammonium ionic liquids, indicating an improving effect of the phosphonium cations on the thermal stability.