Pulsed laser heating process of multi-walled carbon nanotubes film

The prepared multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) film was mounted on the holder and the film surface was flashed with a single pulse of Nd:YAG laser (λ = 532 nm) in the air. The dynamics of pulsed nanosecond laser heating process was simulated by the solution of the one-dimensional heat conduction equation. The finite element method (FEM) was applied to solve the equation. At the laser fluence of 1 J/cm² with Nd:YAG laser, the surface reached the maximum temperature 1503 °C at 13 ns. Moreover, the Raman spectroscopy of MWCNTs films before and after irradiation were measured. The intensity of the two characteristic Raman shifts I_D (defect-mode) and I_G (graphite-mode) was measured by the Raman spectroscopy. The maximum surface temperature was calculated and compared with the I_G/I_D ratio of MWCNTs film. The graphitization occurred on the sample after irradiation.     

Edge dispersion of supported MoS2 and WS2 catalysts as evaluated by using Co(CO)3NO as a probe molecule

SiO₂- and Al₂O₃-supported MoS₂ and WS₂ catalysts were prepared to exploit the evaluation technique of the edge dispersion of MoS₂ and WS₂ particles. A chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique using Co(CO)₃NO as a probe molecule was used for the evaluation. Results were compared with those from conventional techniques such as NO adsorption and TEM. A proportional correlation was obtained between the amount of NO adsorption and the amount of Co atoms accommodated by the CVD technique on WS₂/SiO₂ and WS₂/Al₂O₃ catalysts, demonstrating a selective location of the Co atoms on the edges of WS₂ particles, as previously established for MoS₂ catalysts. A comparison of the amounts of NO adsorption and Co accommodation on MoS₂ and WS₂ catalysts suggested a 70% higher density of sulfur vacancy on MoS₂ particles than on WS₂ particles regardless of the support. The Co atoms on the edges of MoS₂ and WS₂ particles showed the identical NO adsorption property. We propose that Co(CO)₃NO can be used as a probe molecule to evaluate and directly compare the edge dispersions of MoS₂ and WS₂ catalysts. The dispersion of MoS₂ particles was about two times higher than that of WS₂ particles with the SiO₂-supported catalysts. With the Al₂O₃-supported catalysts, MoS₂ and WS₂ particles were dispersed to a similar extent but much more highly dispersed than the counterparts in the SiO₂-supported catalysts. The evaluation of the edge dispersion of MoS₂ and WS₂ particles by means of TEM may pose problems when SiO₂- and Al₂O₃-supported catalysts are compared. The edges of unpromoted MoS₂ particles exhibited a significantly higher intrinsic activity for the HDS of thiophene than those of WS₂ particles.     

Estimation of equivalent circuit parameters of PV module and its application to optimal operation of PV system

A method to estimate the equivalent circuit parameters of a PV (photovoltaic) module is presented. The parameters are calculated using a least-squares fitting of the equivalent model current–voltage characteristic with the measured one. For applications of the equivalent circuit model parameters, a quantitative diagnostic method of the PV modules by evaluating the parameters is introduced and examined by simulation. A new maximum peak power tracking (MPPT) method using the model parameters, a solar insolation, and a cell temperature is also shown. Its performance is compared with other MPPT control algorithms by simulations. The performance of the proposed method was better than other MPPT methods.     

Effects of alpha 1-adrenoreceptor subtype blockade on ischemia-reperfusion injury

To clarify the roles of subclasses of alpha 1-adrenoreceptors in ischemic-reperfused myocardium, we compared the effect of the nonselective alpha 1-blocker bunazosin with that of the alpha 1A-blocker WB4101 and the alpha 1B-blocker chlorethylclonidine (CEC) in isolated rat hearts. After 30 min of preperfusion, Langendorff-perfused hearts were subjected to 25 min of global ischemia followed by 30 min of reperfusion. Hearts were randomly divided into 4 groups, with one of the following substances being added to the perfusate: buffer alone (control), 10(-6) mol/L bunazosin, 10(-7) mol/L WB4101, or 10(-7) mol/L CEC. Bunazosin had a negative inotropic effect and preserved the postischemic ATP content, reduced the postischemic increase in intracellular Na+ content and then enhanced postreperfusion recovery of creatine phosphate. Bunazosin also reduced myocardial 45Ca2+ uptake during reperfusion (control 5.2 vs bunazosin 2.5 mumol/g dry weight of tissue (dwt), p < 0.01). However, the recovery of left ventricular developed pressure (DP) was not improved when bunazosin was added to the perfusate during reperfusion. WB4101 had neither a negative inotropic nor an energy-sparing effect, but it improved the recovery of DP (control 43% vs WB4101 56% of preischemic value, p < 0.05) with no reduction in myocardial 45Ca2+ uptake. CEC had a negative inotropic and energy-sparing effect and then reduced myocardial 45Ca2+ uptake (CEC 3.1 mumol/g dwt, p < 0.05), but it did not improve the recovery of DP. These results suggest that the preischemic administration of an alpha 1B-adrenoreceptor subtype blocker protected ischemic-reperfused myocardium via reduction of Ca2+ overload, whereas the selective blockade of the alpha 1A-adrenoreceptor subtype reduced myocardial damage via mechanism(s) other than Ca2+ metabolism.     

Human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) stimulates the in vitro and in vivo development but not commitment of primitive multipotential progenitors from transgenic mice expressing the human G-CSF receptor

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) stimulates the proliferation and restricted differentiation of hematopoietic progenitors into neutrophils. To clarify the effects of G-CSF on hematopoietic progenitors, we generated transgenic (Tg) mice that had ubiquitous expression of the human G-CSF receptor (hG-CSFR). In clonal cultures of bone marrow and spleen cells obtained from these mice, hG-CSF supported the growth of myelocytic as well as megakaryocytic, mast cell, mixed, and blast cell colonies. Single-cell cultures of lineage-negative (Lin-)c-Kit+Sca-1(+) or Sca-1(-) cells obtained from the Tg mice confirmed the direct effects of hG-CSF on the proliferation and differentiation of various progenitors. hG-CSF also had stimulatory effects on the formation of blast cell colonies in cultures using 5-fluorouracil-resistant hematopoietic progenitors and clone-sorted Lin-c-Kit+Sca-1(+) primitive hematopoietic cells. These colonies contained different progenitors in proportions similar to those obtained when mouse interleukin-3 was used in place of hG-CSF. Administration of hG-CSF to Tg mice led to significant increases in spleen colony-forming and mixed/blast cell colony-forming cells in bone marrow and spleen, but did not alter the proportion of myeloid progenitors in total clonogenic cells. These results show that, when functional G-CSFR is present on the cell surface, hG-CSF stimulates the development of primitive multipotential progenitors both in vitro and in vivo, but does not induce exclusive commitment to the myeloid lineage.     

Prevention of shock lines in multi-stage sheet metal forming

The occurrence of the shock lines in multi-stage sheet metal forming was investigated to obtain basic knowledge for the prevention of the shock lines. The deformation behaviour for the occurrence of the shock line was observed in detail in both experiment and numerical simulation. For the occurrence of the shock lines, multi-stage forming processes were simplified as a model forming test consisting of deep drawing and unbending. The effects of forming conditions on the occurrence of the shock lines were examined and the prevention of the occurrence was discussed. It was found that the decrease of thickness in the corner formed in previous stages appears as the shock line in the unbending. As an application to actual forming processes, the shock line in a multi-stage forming process of an automobile wheel disk was successfully prevented by increasing the radius of the punch corner in the first stage.     

X-ray microdiffraction investigation of crystallinity and strain relaxation in Ge thin lines selectively grown on Si(0 0 1) substrates

We used X-ray microdiffraction (XRMD) to investigate the crystallinity and strain relaxation of Ge thin lines with widths of 100, 200, 500 and 1000 nm selectively grown on Si(0 0 1) substrates using a patterned SiO₂ mask by chemical vapor deposition. The variations of the strain relaxation in the line and width directions were also investigated in Ge thin lines with a width of 100 nm. After growth, crystal domains with very small tilt angles were detected in Ge lines with all four line widths. The tilt angle range was larger in thinner Ge lines. After annealing at 700 °C, the formation of a single, large domain with a specific tilt angle was detected by XRMD for Ge thin lines with widths of 100 and 200 nm. These experimental results reflect the effects of SiO₂ side walls around the Ge thin lines on crystallinity and strain relaxation of Ge.     

Molecular and Neural Mechanism of Dysphagia Due to Cancer

Cancer is one of the most common causes of death worldwide. Along with the advances in diagnostic technology achieved through industry–academia partnerships, the survival rate of cancer patients has improved dramatically through treatments that include surgery, radiation therapy, and pharmacotherapy. This has increased the population of cancer “survivors” and made cancer survivorship an important part of life for patients. The senses of taste and smell during swallowing and cachexia play important roles in dysphagia associated with nutritional disorders in cancer patients. Cancerous lesions in the brain can cause dysphagia. Taste and smell disorders that contribute to swallowing can worsen or develop because of pharmacotherapy or radiation therapy; metabolic or central nervous system damage due to cachexia, sarcopenia, or inflammation can also cause dysphagia. As the causes of eating disorders in cancer patients are complex and involve multiple factors, cancer patients require a multifaceted and long-term approach by the medical care team.