Electrochemical mass-flow control of hydrogen using a fullerene-based proton conductor

A membrane electrode assembly (MEA) was fabricated using proton conductive hydrogensulfated fullerenol (C₆₀(OSO₃H)_n(OH)_n). Rate-controlled mass flow of hydrogen was performed by applying voltage to both electrodes of the MEA without humidification. The amount of the electrochemically transported hydrogen through the MEA increased as the applied current increased, obeying Faraday's law. Residual gas analysis of the transported hydrogen showed that the transported hydrogen contains trace amounts of water less than 1%.     

Lanthanide metal overlayers by deposition of lanthanide metals dissolved in liquid ammonia on Co and Ni. Effects of particle sizes of parent Co and Ni metals

Lanthanide metals (Ln = Eu and Yb) dissolved in liquid ammonia and reacted readily with reduced Co or Ni powders to form lanthanide metal overlayers (Ln-Co or Ln-Ni). The surface properties of Ln-Co and Ln-Ni prepared from Co and Ni precursors with different particle sizes (15–28 nm) were characterized by the hydrogenation of propene. The hydrogenation behaviors varied markedly with changes in metal particle sizes of the Co and Ni precursors and the lanthanide content. The hydrogenation activity decreased with lanthanide content, passed through a minimum and increased with increasing content. The active surfaces of parent cobalt and nickel were gradually covered with the lanthanide metals and simultaneously synergetic interactions between the lanthanide and 3d-transition metals occurred, indicating the formation of hydrogen-absorbing surface intermetallic phases. This synergy showed a tendency to appear in the region of higher lanthanide contents with decreasing average metal sizes of the Co and Ni precursors.     

Microfluidic‐Nanofiber Hybrid Array for Screening of Cellular Microenvironments

Cellular microenvironments are generally sophisticated, but crucial for regulating the functions of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). Despite tremendous effort in this field, the correlation between the environmental factors—especially the extracellular matrix and soluble cell factors—and the desired cellular functions remains largely unknown because of the lack of appropriate tools to recapitulate in vivo conditions and/or simultaneously evaluate the interplay of different environment factors. Here, a combinatorial platform is developed with integrated microfluidic channels and nanofibers, associated with a method of high‐content single‐cell analysis, to study the effects of environmental factors on stem cell phenotype. Particular attention is paid to the dependence of hPSC short‐term self‐renewal on the density and composition of extracellular matrices and initial cell seeding densities. Thus, this combinatorial approach provides insights into the underlying chemical and physical mechanisms that govern stem cell fate decisions.     

Marked Enhancement of the Methane Dehydrocondensation Toward Benzene Using Effective Pd Catalytic Membrane Reactor with Mo/ZSM-5

Steady state product formation rates of benzene, hydrogen, naphthalene, toluene in methane dehydrocondensation reaction on 3wt% Mo loaded ZSM-5 catalyst was enhanced 2–10 times by the removal of hydrogen using Pd membrane for 100h at 883K. The amount of permeated hydrogen through the Pd membrane was measured before and during the methane dehydrocondensation reaction. About 50–60% of hydrogen from the total hydrogen produced during the methane dehydrocondensation was selectively removed by the Pd membrane, owing to which the equilibrium of the methane dehydrocondensation was shifted toward the product side.     

Validity of expectancy theory as a within-person behavioral choice model for sales activities.

Using 62 female life insurance sales representatives (mean age 36.5 yrs) in Japan, the present study hypothesized, based on an expectancy model of choice, that when choosing among 6 types of policies to sell, Ss would more frequently choose the policy associated with the larger force score. Ss were required to fill out a questionnaire containing measures of the expectancy of sales success, the valence for 4 self-generated outcomes, and the instrumentality of sales success for those outcomes. The number of policies sold was used as an index of performance for each policy. An overall contingency table based on the item ranks indicated significant relationships between force and performance. The average within-person Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient for force and performance for those 6 policy types was .50. Implications for expectancy theory as a within-person choice model and some methodological problems involved in the present study are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In situ FTIR microscope study on crystallization of crystalline/crystalline polymer blends of bacterial copolyesters

This study describes in situ observation of crystallization in a spherulite of blends of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) [PHBV] and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxypropionate) [PHBP] by FTIR microscopy. In order to trace the crystallization processes of blend components separately, PHBV was deuterated. The C-D and CO stretching bands in the IR spectra, respectively, show the crystallization behavior of PHBV and the whole blend. D-PHBV containing 6 and 8% HV [D-PHBV6 and D-PHBV8] are blended with PHBP containing 11% HP [PHBP11]. The crystallization rates of D-PHBV6, D-PHBV8 and PHBP11 decrease in this order. In case of the blend of D-PHBV8 and PHBP11 the crystalline peaks of C-D and CO bands grows simultaneously during crystallization, and the growth rates are rather close to that of D-PHBV8. The results indicate that D-PHBV8, which is the component that shows higher crystallization rate in the pure state, leads the cocrystallization of the blend. For D-PHBV6/PHBP11, on the other hand, the crystalline peak of C-D band grows faster than that of CO band, indicating that the crystallization of D-PHBV6 proceeds before the crystallization of PHBP11. During the crystallization of D-PHBV6, PHBP11 molecules get away from the growing front of the spherulite, i.e. the phase segregation precedes the crystallization. These results demonstrate that FTIR microscopy is a powerful tool to trace the formation of different crystalline phases, such as cocrystallization and phase segregation.     

Carbonylation of formaldehyde catalyzed by p-toluenesulfonic acid

A catalytic system consisting of p-toluenesulfonic acid, a transition metal complex such as CF₃SO₃Ag, and a solvent exhibits a high catalytic performance for the carbonylation of formaldehyde, followed by esterification with methanol, to produce methyl glycolate. The catalytic performance is significantly improved by using the ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, instead of organic solvents. This catalytic system shows higher yield of methyl glycolate at relatively low CO pressure in comparison to solid acid catalysts. The present system provides a potential process for synthesizing methyl glycolate via carbonylation of formaldehyde in much low corrosion in comparison to the previous system including strong inorganic liquid acids as solvents and catalysts.     

Development of small bulge fatigue testing technique using small disk‐type specimen

A new fatigue testing technique, the small bulge fatigue (SBF) test using a small disk‐type specimen with flat and concave surfaces, was developed in this study. In the technique, a cyclic oil pressure could be alternatively applied to both specimen surfaces at the frequency of 10 Hz. After some verification tests for the displacement and strain measurements, type 316 austenitic stainless steel specimens were subjected to a preliminary test using this newly developed testing technique. As a result, the SBF test results (S‐N curve) were in good agreement with those of conventional fatigue tests by defining fatigue life as the number of cycles to the sudden drop in oil pressure because of fracture.     

Oxidation rate of conjugated linoleic acid and conjugated linolenic acid is slowed by triacylglycerol esterification and α-tocopherol

We have recently shown that α-eleostearic acid (α-ESA), a conjugated linolenic acid, has a stronger antitumor effect than conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, the oxidative stability of α-ESA was examined compared with linoleic acid (LA), α-linolenic acid (LnA), and CLA. Thin layers of the FA (LA, 9Z, 11E-CLA, 10E,12Z-CLA, LnA, and α-ESA) were auto-oxidized at 37°C, and the FA remaining, the absorbed oxygen volume, the lipid hydroperoxide content, and the TBARS content were determined. The oxidation rate of α-ESA was faster than that of the unconjugated FA and CLA (9Z,11E-CLA and 10E,12Z-CLA). However, the lipid hydroperoxide and TBARS contents following α-ESA oxidation were low, suggesting production of only small amounts of rapid-reacting secondary oxidation products. Furthermore, the oxidative stability of conjugated FA (CLA and CLnA) in which the carboxylic acid group was esterified with triacylglycerol was greater than that of the FFA. Addition of an antioxidant (α-tocopherol) also increased the stability of the conjugated FA to a level similar to that of the unconjugated FA.     

Laser cutting of thick steel plates and simulated steel components using a 30 kW fiber laser

Laser cutting of thick steel plates and simulated steel components using a 30 kW fiber laser was studied for application to nuclear decommissioning. Successful cutting of carbon steel and stainless steel plates up to 300 mm in thickness was demonstrated, as was that of thick steel components such as simulated reactor vessel walls, a large pipe, and a gate valve. The results indicate that laser cutting applied to nuclear decommissioning is a promising technology.