New design and development of size‐selected gas cluster SIMS

A new cluster time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS) was developed, using a size‐selected gas cluster ion as a projectile. Because a large gas cluster ion can generate numerous low‐energy constituent atoms during a collision with the surface, multiple and ultralow‐energy sputterings are induced. Dividing the acceleration energy of a gas cluster ion by the number of constituent atoms provides the mean kinetic energy of the constituent atoms. Hence, sputtering can be controlled to minimize decomposition of the sample molecules by precisely adjusting the number of constituent atoms (the cluster size) and/or the acceleration energy of the gas cluster ions. The cluster size was selected by the time‐of‐flight method using two ion deflectors attached along the ion‐beam line. A high resolution of 11.7 was achieved for the cluster size/size width (m/Δm) of the Ar‐cluster ions. The SIM spectra of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were measured using the size‐selected gas‐cluster SIMS machine. The large fragment ions emitted from PMMA are enhanced as the cluster size increases. This result suggests that a large cluster ion projectile in which each constituent atom within the cluster has decreased kinetic energy inhibits the decomposition of the polymer structure. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 176(3): 52–58, 2011; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.21159     

Beneficial health effects of polyphenols metabolized by fermentation

Food Science and Biotechnology - High daily intake of polyphenol-rich meal in some countries could be regarded as a healthy meal. However, the knowledge about the bioavailability and functionality...     

Preparation and Thermoelectric Properties of LaGd<Subscript>1+<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>S<Subscript>3</Subscript> and SmGd<Subscript>1+<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>S<Subscript>3</Subscript>

Thermoelectric materials are attractive since they can recover waste heat directly in the form of electricity. In this study, the thermoelectric properties of ternary rare-earth sulfides LaGd_1+x S₃ (x = 0.00 to 0.03) and SmGd_1+x S₃ (x = 0.00 to 0.06) were investigated over the temperature range of 300 K to 953 K. These sulfides were prepared by CS₂ sulfurization, and samples were consolidated by pressure-assisted sintering to obtain dense compacts. The sintered compacts of LaGd_1+x S₃ were n-type metal-like conductors with a thermal conductivity of less than 1.7 W K⁻¹ m⁻¹. Their thermoelectric figure of merit ZT was improved by tuning the chemical composition (self-doping). The optimized ZT value of 0.4 was obtained in LaGd_1.02S₃ at 953 K. The sintered compacts of SmGd_1+x S₃ were n-type hopping conductors with a thermal conductivity of less than 0.8 W K⁻¹ m⁻¹. Their ZT value increased significantly with temperature. In SmGd_1+x S₃, the ZT value of 0.3 was attained at 953 K.     

Photostable Iodinated Silica/Porphyrin Hybrid Nanoparticles with Heavy‐Atom Effect for Wide‐Field Photodynamic/Photothermal Therapy Using Single Light Source

Physical therapies including photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) can be effective against diseases that are resistant to chemotherapy and remain as incurable malignancies (for example, multiple myeloma). In this study, to enhance the treatment efficacy for multiple myeloma using the synergetic effect brought about by combining PDT and PTT, iodinated silica/porphyrin hybrid nanoparticles (ISP HNPs) with high photostability are developed. They can generate both ¹O₂ and heat with irradiation from a light‐emitting diode (LED), acting as photosensitizers for PDT/PTT combination treatment. ISP HNPs exhibit the external heavy atom effect, which significantly improves both the quantum yield for ¹O₂ generation and the light‐to‐heat conversion efficiency. The in vivo fluorescence imaging demonstrates that ISP HNPs, modified with folic acid and polyethylene glycol (FA‐PEG‐ISP HNPs), locally accumulate in the tumor after 18 h of their intravenous injection into tumor‐bearing mice. The LED irradiation on the tumor area of the mice injected with FA‐PEG‐ISP HNPs causes necrosis of the tumor tissues, resulting in the inhibition of tumor growth and an improvement in the survival rate.     

Highly available network design and resource management of SINET4

The Japanese academic backbone network has been providing a variety of multilayer network services to support a wide range of research and education activities for more than 700 universities and research institutions. The new version, called SINET4, was launched in 2011 in order to enhance the service availability and the network bandwidth as well as to expand the service menu. Its enhanced service availability was unexpectedly verified by the disastrous March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake, when the network managed not to stop service operation even after the earthquake. This paper describes the design and implementation of SINET4 in terms of multiple service provision, network resource control and management, and high reliability from physical level to network management level. The impacts of the huge earthquake are also reported.     

Lymphatic absorption of structured glycerolipids containing medium-chain fatty acids and linoleic acid,and their effect on cholesterol absorption in rats

The effects of various structured triglycerides containing medium-chain (caprylic or capric acids) and long-chain (linoleic acid) fatty acids on fatty acid and cholesterol absorption were studied in lymph-cannulated rats. A considerable portion of capric and caprylic acid was absorbed through the lymph duct, although to a lesser extent than was linoleic acid. Capric and linoleic acid located at the 2-position of 2-decanoyl-1,3-dilinoleoyl-glycerol (18∶2/10∶0/18∶2) and 2-linoleoyl-1,3-didecanoyl-glycerol (10∶0/18∶2/10∶0), respectively, tended to be absorbed more efficiently than those located at the 1- and 3-position or those from tricaprin (10∶0/10∶0/10∶0) or trilinolein (18∶2/18∶2/18∶2). A similar trend was observed when the medium-chain fatty acid was caprylic acid instead of capric acid. Caprylic acid absorption from 2-octanoyl-1,3-dilinoleoylglycerol (18∶2/8∶0/18∶2) was significantly greater (p<0.05) than from 2-linoleoyl-1,3-dioctanoyl-glycerol (8∶0/18∶2/8∶0) or tricaprylin (8∶0/8∶0/8∶0). Preferential absorption of caprylic and linoleic acid was not observed when the 1 to 2 and the 2 to 1 mixtures of 8∶0/8∶0/8∶0 and 18∶2/18∶2/18∶2, respectively, were administered. The structured lipids did not affect the lymphatic absorption of cholesterol. The results suggest that structured triglycerides composed of medium-chain fatty acids and linoleic acid may be more useful for the treatment of lipid malabsorption than are mixtures of medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) and long-chain triglycride (LCT).     

Effects of oleic,arachidonic and 5,8,11,14-nonadecatetraenoic acids on lipid secretion and ketogenesis in perfused rat liver

The effects of perfused oleic (18∶1n−9), arachidonic (20∶4n−6) and 5,8,11,14-nonadecatetraenoic (19∶4n−5) acids on triglyceride and cholesterol secretion and ketone body production were studied in isolated rat liver. As compared to oleic and 19∶4n−5 acids, both ketone body production and triglyceride secretion were significantly lowered when arachidonic acid was perfused. The concentration of triglyceride in the post-perfused liver was lower upon perfusion with arachidonic acid than upon perfusion with oleic acid or 19∶4n−5 acid. Cholesterol secretion in the liver perfused with arachidonic acid or 19∶4n−5 acid was significantly higher than with oleic acid. The concentration of cholesterol in the post-perfused liver was slightly but significantly higher with 19∶4n−5 acid than with the other fatty acids. The results suggest that 19∶4n−5 acid when compared with arachidonic acid affects lipid metabolism in liver differently.     

Resource Recovery of Waste Incineration Fly Ash: Synthesis of Zeolites A and P

The conversion of waste incineration fly ash to zeolitic compounds by hydrothermal treatment in the presence of NaOH solution has been investigated. An acid pretreatment of fly ash in addition to water washing and heating at 800°C was found to be an important process to prepare reproducible zeolitic compounds. Treatment with a low-concentration NaOH solution at 60°C and 100°–120°C successfully produced zeolites A and P, respectively, as major products. At increased concentrations of NaOH, sodalite was generated. The hydrothermal products showed uptake behavior for NH₄⁺ ions.     

Sorption properties of the activated carbon-zeolite composite prepared from coal fly ash for Ni(2+), Cu(2+), Cd(2+) and Pb(2+)

Composite materials of activated carbon and zeolite have been prepared successfully by activating coal fly ash (CFA) by fusion with NaOH at 750 degrees C in N(2) followed by hydrothermal treatments under various conditions. Uptake experiments for Ni(2+), Cu(2+), Cd(2+) and Pb(2+) were performed with the materials thus obtained from CFA. Of the various composite materials, that were obtained by hydrothermal treatment with NaOH solution (ca. 4M) at 80 degrees C (a composite of activated carbon and zeolite X/faujasite) proved to be the most suitable for the uptake of toxic metal ions. The relative selectivity of the present sorbents for the various ions was Pb(2+)>Cu(2+)>Cd(2+)>Ni(2+), with equilibrium uptake capacities of 2.65, 1.72, 1.44 and 1.20mmol/g, respectively. The sorption isotherm was a good fit to the Langmuir isotherm and the sorption is thought to progress mainly by ion exchange with Na(+). The overall reaction is pseudo-second order with rate constants of 0.14, 0.17, 0.21 and 0.20Lg/mmol min for the uptake of Pb(2+), Cu(2+), Cd(2+) and Ni(2+), respectively.