Preparation and electrical properties of monophase cubic spinel,Mn1.5Co0.95Ni0.55O4, derived from rock salt type oxide

The purpose of this study was to prepare a sintered body consisting of monophase cubic spinel type oxide, Mn_1.5Co_0.95Ni_0.55O₄, and to evaluate its electrical properties. It was found that cooling from 1400 to 1000 °C in nitrogen did not affect the preservation of the sintered rock salt type oxide formed at 1400 °C. A crack free sintered body of monophase cubic spinel may be obtained by heat treatment at 1000 °C in air, using a specimen cooled from 1400 °C at a rate of 500 °C min ^–1. A heat treatment time in air at 1000 °C of more than 48 h was required to convert the rock salt type structure into a perfect cubic spinel structure. The electrical conductivity, , of the sintered cubic spinel oxide synthesized in this work was found to be stable at 100 and 200 °C in air and at 100, 200 and 300 °C in nitrogen. The sintered spinel oxide was a p-type semiconductor, based on small polaron hopping conduction. The intrinsic hole concentration, n, was estimated to be constant, with a value of 1.6–1.8×10²⁸m^–3. The mobility, , increased exponentially with increasing annealing temperature in both atmospheres, suggesting that the change in is dependent on .     

Proteomic analysis of autoantigens associated with systemic lupus erythematosus: Anti-aldolase A antibody as a potential marker of lupus nephritis

To screen for autoantibodies associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we used proteomic approaches combining 2-D PAGE and Western blot analysis, followed by protein identification by LC-MS/MS analysis, resulting in the identification of aldolase A as a novel autoantigen in SLE. ELISA showed the prevalence of anti-aldolase A antibodies to be 29.3% in SLE, 8.2% in rheumatoid arthritis, 18.1% in polymyositis and absent in healthy controls. Furthermore, 43.4% of SLE patients suffering from nephritis showed anti-aldolase A autoantibodies, which was significantly higher than the prevalence for those without nephritis (11.1%). In lupus nephritis, there are few reliable diagnostic methods, other than urinalysis. Therefore, these results indicate that autoantibodies against aldolase A may serve as an alternative clinical biomarker of SLE associated with nephritis.     

Development of Racing Bicycle Position Control Device and Pedaling Exercise Analysis Software with Web-Based Data Management Function for Improving Cycling Technique

To maximize the competitive ability of cyclist, many researches have been studied how to fit the setting of bicycle components against cyclist’s physical properties. At present, neither definitive policy nor effective method to set bicycle components appropriate for each cyclist have been established, so this study aims to develop a system that can assist to search an efficient setting of bicycle components for cyclist’s physical properties. The first feature of this system is to change the bicycle setting during pedaling exercise, and the second is to make the exercise data obtained by experiments sharable with researchers in the study field of cycling. The proposed system is developed by improving our previous experimental device and newly constructing an analysis software program with web-based data management function. The experimental device can automatically control the positions of both a saddle and a handle during pedaling exercise and measure multi-channel surface electromyography (SEMG) simultaneously. The analysis software program is constructed with Microsoft SQL Server to efficiently manage the huge volume of SEMG data, and additionally, web server technologies, Apache and PHP, are employed in order to be available through the Internet, so researchers can easily use all experimental data even if they live in different locations. The details of our experimental system are shown in this paper, and the summary of our findings through the experiments is also described.     

Reversible selectivity of water/organic solvent mixtures in poly(lactic acid) film

The separation properties of water/organic solvent mixtures in poly(lactic acid) (PLA) films were investigated. The organic solvent flux increased linearly as the feed concentration increased, whereas the water flux was almost constant up to a feed concentration of 30 wt %. Interestingly, the permselectivity of PLA films was reversed from organic solvent selectivity to high water selectivity depending on the type of organic solvent. The permselectivity was strongly correlated with the solution concentration at which the solvent‐induced crystallization of the PLA films occurred. The selectivity of permeation, solution, and diffusion in water/organic solvent mixtures was determined by the expanded free volume of the PLA films as a result of the interaction between PLA and the water/organic solvent mixture. The permeability behavior of water/organic solvent mixtures in PLA films was very complex. However, it was found that this behavior could be predicted through immersion tests. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43822.     

Fracture behavior of wasted activated carbon powder composites

At the Waterworks Bureau (Tokyo Metropolitan Government), activated carbon has been used for filtering water. After being used for the filtering process, it is normally disposed or burned for thermal recycling. However, CO₂ emissions occur during the thermal recycling. This work focuses on the identification of mechanical behavior of recycled wasted activated carbon (WAC) in order to elaborate smart materials having mechanical–electrical functions. Acoustic emission technique (AE) was used intensively as characterization support in which sensors were attached to detect microdamage during bending tests. At first, the resonant frequencies of the specimens were measured using the through-transmission test. The resonant frequencies of the specimens containing low weight fractions of WAC powder were less in comparison to the frequencies of the specimens with higher volume fraction. The frequency analysis was carried out with the projected wavelet transform on the signals detected during bending tests. Obtained data showed that, typically, the first major peaks showed the resonant frequency of the sensors, while the second major peaks exhibited signals indicative of resin cracking. The surfaces of the fractured specimens were analyzed by optical microscopy in order to visualize the crack formation and propagation on the activated carbon composite under flexural stresses. Consequently, fractographic and AE analyses provide better understanding of the failure mechanisms involved.     

Highly Mobile Metastable State of He-4 Thin Films: A Glass Transition by Mechanical Perturbation?

Solid layers of helium on graphite surface are known to go into a highly mobile state (HMS) once the solid layer is enforced to slip on the substrate. The HMS collapses to the stable inert state with the lifetime extending over \(10^4\) s. In this paper, we suggest that the HMS is a structural glass by showing the similarities between the present system and an organic conductor named BEDT-TTF. The latter was recently discovered to be an electronic glass if the cooling rate is rapid enough across the freezing temperature (Wigner crystal formation temperature). We then address a novel annealing process promoted by a local condensate which should be seen for the present He-4 case as the condensation fraction grows in the liquid overlayer.     

AlGaN/GaN HEMTs passivated by Cat-CVD SiN Film

We demonstrate the excellent performance of a 140 W AlGaN/GaN HEMT in the C-band, which is passivated by a Cat-CVD SiN film. The interface trap density of the AlGaN surface passivated by Cat-CVD film after NH₃ treatment is 3 × 10¹² cm^− 2, which is the smallest of investigated deposition techniques. The lowest interface trap density achieved by the Cat-CVD technique makes it possible to operate the AlGaN/GaN HEMT in the C-band. We clarify that the Cat-CVD technique is necessary for developing future amplifiers.     

Influence of gas pressure on low-temperature preparation and film properties of nanocrystalline 3C-SiC thin films by HW-CVD using SiH4/CH4/H2 system

We investigated an influence of gas pressure on low-temperature preparation of nanocrystalline cubic silicon carbide (nc-3C-SiC) films by hot-wire chemical vapour deposition (HW-CVD) using SiH₄/CH₄/H₂ system. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra revealed that the films prepared below 1.5 Torr were Si-nanocrystallite-embedded hydrogenated amorphous SiC. On the other hand, nc-3C-SiC films were successfully prepared at gas pressure above 2 Torr. The high gas pressure plays two important roles in low-temperature preparation of nc-3C-SiC films: (1) leading to sufficient decomposition of CH₄ molecules through a gas phase reaction and an increase in the incorporation of carbon atoms into film and (2) promoting a creation of H radicals on the heated filament, allowing the sufficient coverage of growing film surface and a selective etching of amorphous network structure and/or crystalline-Si phase. It was found that total gas pressure is a key parameter for low-temperature preparation of nc-3C-SiC films.     

Collagen of edible jellyfish exumbrella

The edible jellyfish exumbrella collagen was prepared by limited pepsin digestion. The yield of collagen was very high; 46.4% on the basis of lyophilised dry weight. This collagen was comprised of α1α2α3‐heterotrimers, moreover it was relatively stable at 26.0 °C for 60 min. Thus, the edible jellyfish exumbrella will have potential as an important collagen source for use in various industries and it is expected that the development thus so far unutilised resource will advance in the future. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry