Supramolecular morphology of two-step melt-spun poly(dioxanone) fibers

Structure of poly(dioxanone) (PPDX) fibers produced through a two-step melt-spinning process with an additional short-period annealing above the melting temperature of PPDX was investigated and the effect of annealing on the degradation behavior was discussed. The morphological study carried out by etching the fibers using a phosphate or permanganate solution suggested that the fibers take a skin–core structure, and both the skin layer and the core region consist of a bundle of microfibrils. The micro-beam X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the short-period annealing in the production process only slightly promotes the crystallization in the skin layer but contributes to increasing the packing of amorphous chains near the skin, which seems to be the controlling factor of the hydrolytic degradation behavior of the fibers.     

Dummy humanoid robot simulating several trunk postures and abdominal shapes – Report of element technologies

Development of clothing in consideration of the shape and body function of a person with spinal cord injury is an important task. Then, a dummy robot with a deformation mechanism was developed in this study for evaluating the comfortable level of clothings. Specifically, a trunk joint mechanism and an abdominal mechanism that can realize various deformations of the abdominal area and various trunk poses were developed. The trunk joint mechanism was implemented in order to simulate the seated posture of persons with spinal cord injury. The abdominal deformation mechanism was implemented using linear actuators and rotating servomotors in order to simulate abdominal obesity of persons with spinal cord injury. Further, a tactile sensor system was developed for measuring the clothing pressure on the abdominal area and evaluating the comfort or discomfort of clothing.     

Phosphorus flame retardants in indoor dust and their relation to asthma and allergies of inhabitants

Organophosphate esters are used as additives in flame retardants and plasticizers, and they are ubiquitous in the indoor environment. Phosphorus flame retardants (PFRs) are present in residential dust, but few epidemiological studies have assessed their impact on human health. We measured the levels of 11 PFRs in indoor floor dust and multi‐surface dust in 182 single‐family dwellings in Japan. We evaluated their correlations with asthma and allergies of the inhabitants. Tris(2‐butoxyethyl) phosphate was detected in all samples (median value: 580 μg/g in floor dust, 111 μg/g in multi‐surface dust). Tris(2‐chloro‐iso‐propyl) phosphate (TCIPP) was detected at 8.69 μg/g in floor dust and 25.8 μg/g in multi‐surface dust. After adjustment for potential confounders, significant associations were found between the prevalence of atopic dermatitis and the presence of TCIPP and tris(1,3‐dichloro‐2‐propyl) phosphate in floor dust [per log₁₀‐unit, odds ratio (OR): 2.43 and 1.84, respectively]. Tributyl phosphate was significantly associated with the prevalence of asthma (OR: 2.85 in floor dust, 5.34 in multi‐surface dust) and allergic rhinitis (OR: 2.55 in multi‐surface dust). PFR levels in Japan were high compared with values reported previously for Europe, Asia‐Pacific, and the USA. Higher levels of PFRs in house dust were related to the inhabitants' health status.     

Calculation of neutron cross-sections on copper-63 and -65

Toward the development of the next version of Japanese Evaluated Nuclear Data Library (JENDL) general-purpose file, we calculate neutron cross-sections on ^{63, 65}Cu from 50 keV to 20 MeV, which is the incident energy range above the resolved resonance region in JENDL-4.0. A dispersive optical model potential is adopted with a coupled-channel method for interaction between neutron and ^{63, 65}Cu. Direct, pre-equilibrium, and compound processes are taken into account in the calculation. All cross-sections, differential and double-differential cross-sections are consistently calculated with a single set of model parameters. The calculation results reproduce the measured data very well. In addition, disagreement between the calculated and experimental values seen in an integral test for the ⁶³Cu(n, α)⁶⁰Co reaction is improved by using the cross-section data obtained from the present work.     

Tribochemical behaviour and lubrication characteristics of aromatic compounds

Radical scavenger, radical anion scavenger, and peroxide decomposer were added to aromatic hydrocarbons and phosphates in aromatic rings with and without side chain, and the effect of these inhibitors on tribopolymerisation and the lubrication characteristics of the aromatic compounds were investigated, in various atmospheres, in order to clarify the reaction mechanism. The aromatics of both hydrocarbons and phosphates with a methyl group in aromatic rings react readily at the rubbing surfaces to form polymer or polymer-like products, improving the lubricating characteristics. The tribochemical reactions of alkylaromatic compounds is shown to differ from those of trialkyl or triarylphosphates. It was concluded that the reaction proceeds through the radical or radicalanion and via peroxide to cause polymerisation.     

Am1 MO Study of Benzene Nitro Derivatives

Molecular properties of benzene nitro derivatives were investigated by using semi-empirical MO calculations. As the results, the molecular structures and the rotational barrier of the nitro group calculated by AM1 showed a good agreement with the experimental values. The heats of formation in gaseous and condensed phases were obtained by considering isodesmic reactions. By this procedure, the heat of formation of hexanitrobenzene in solid phase was calculated to be +22.7 kcal/mol. The detonation parameters were also calculated by using four equations of state. The predicted detonation velocities showed a good agreement with the experimental values.     

Synthesis,properties, and biodegradability of three-branched copolyamide (4/6)

Previous studies on polyamide 4, excellent properties, functionalities, and biodegradation in natural condition have been shown. In this study, three-branched (star-shaped) copolyamides constituted of polyamide 4 and polyamide 6 constitutional unit were synthesized by anionic ring-opening copolymerization of 2-pyrrolidone with ε-caprolactam. The thermal and mechanical properties and the biodegradability of the obtained copolyamides have been systematically investigated. The weight-average molecular weight of the copolyamides was as high as tens of thousands (M_w 10–80 × 10³ g/mol). The composition of the copolyamides was approximately in accord with the monomer feed ratio, thereby being controllable. The thermal and mechanical properties changed readily as the composition was varied (T_m 146–266°C, ΔH_m 10–70 J/g, T_d 278–369°C, tensile strength 28–64 MPa, elongation at break 80–750%). The copolyamide having 2-pyrrolidone unit of 96–51 mol% exhibited biodegradability by an activated sludge. The biodegradation of the copolyamide proceeded uniformly without disproportion in constitutional unit.     

Crack-Healing Behavior of Si3N4/SiC Ceramics under Cyclic Stress and Resultant Fatigue Strength at the Healing Temperature

Si₃N₄/SiC composite ceramics were sintered and subjected to three-point bending. A semi-elliptical surface crack of 100 μm surface length was made on each specimen. The crack-healing behavior under cyclic stress of 5 Hz, and resultant cyclic fatigue strengths at healing temperatures of 1100° and 1200°C, were systematically investigated. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Si₃N₄/SiC composite ceramics have an excellent ability to heal a crack at 1100° and 1200°C. (2) This sample could heal a crack even under cyclic stress at a frequency of 5 Hz. (3) The crack-healed sample exhibited quite high cyclic fatigue strength at each crack-healing temperature, 1100° and 1200°C.     

Guiding and blocking of highly charged ions through a single glass capillary

Highly charged ions produced in an electron beam ion trap, I^q+, q = 10-50, were transmitted through a tapered glass capillary having diameter of at the end. We found that for a particular beam current, there exists an optimum tilting angle of the capillary in which a steady output of ions is observed, while for smaller angles, the ion counts first rise, then gradually decay on a time scale of minutes. In the case of steady transmission, the charge state distribution is found to be slightly towards the lower side.