Accumulated Charge Profile in Polyethylene during Fast Electron Irradiations

Space charge profile and consequent field strength profile were obtained by solving the continuity and Poisson's simultaneous equations. Experimental electron deposition curve and radiation-induced conductivity curve were used for calculation. The calculated results explained well the observed replacement current and electrical breakdown phenomena. Dose rate, dose, and temperature effects on charge accumulation were also investigated.     

Isolation and characterization of a soluble and thermostable phosphite dehydrogenase from Ralstonia sp. strain 4506

Phosphite dehydrogenase (PtxD), which catalyzes the nearly irreversible oxidation of phosphite to phosphate with the concomitant reduction of NAD(+) to NADH, has great potential for NADH regeneration in industrial biocatalysts. Here, we isolated a soil bacterium, Ralstonia sp. strain 4506, that grew at 45°C on a minimal medium containing phosphite as the sole source of phosphorus. A recombinant PtxD of Ralstonia sp. (PtxD(R4506)) appeared in the soluble fraction in Escherichia coli. The purified PtxD(R4506) showed 6.7-fold greater catalytic efficiency (V(max)/K(m)) than the first characterized PtxD of Pseudomonas stutzeri (PtxD(PS)). Moreover, the purified PtxD(R4506) showed maximum activity at 50°C, and its half-life of thermal inactivation at 45°C was 80.5h, which is approximately 3,450-fold greater than that of PtxD(PS). Therefore, we concluded that PtxD(R4506), which shows high catalytic efficiency, solubility, and thermostability, would be useful for NADH regeneration applications.     

Surface Magnetism of Liquid 3He on 4He Pre-plated Graphite

No Heading The nuclear susceptibility of liquid ³He in Grafoil pre-plated by 2.5 and 3.5 layers of ⁴He has been studied with a cw NMR method at temperatures between 0.7 and 100 mK under various liquid pressures. The 3.5 layers of ⁴He pre-plating suppresses a formation of the first and second solid ³He layer, eliminating most of surface magnetization at saturated vapor pressure. However, with increasing liquid pressure, a magnetization obeying a Curie Weiss law gradually grows in the same way as in the previous experiment for pure liquid ³He. This magnetization, induced by pressurization, is attributable to the formation of solid ³He layer above the pre-plated ⁴He.PACS numbers: 67.80.Jd, 75.70 Cn, 67.70.+n.     

Isolation, amino acid sequence and biological activities of novel long-chain polyamine-associated peptide toxins from the sponge Axinyssa aculeata

A novel family of functionalized peptide toxins, aculeines (ACUs), was isolated from the marine sponge Axinyssa aculeate. ACUs are polypeptides with N-terminal residues that are modified by the addition of long-chain polyamines (LCPA). Aculeines were present in the sponge extract as a complex mixture with differing polyamine chain lengths and peptide structures. ACU-A and B, which were purified in this study, share a common polypeptide chain but differ in their N-terminal residue modifications. The amino acid sequence of the polypeptide portion of ACU-A and B was deduced from 3' and 5' RACE, and supported by Edman degradation and mass spectral analysis of peptide fragments. ACU induced convulsions upon intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection in mice, and disrupted neuronal membrane integrity in electrophysiological assays. ACU also lysed erythrocytes with a potency that differed between animal species. Here we describe the isolation, amino acid sequence, and biological activity of this new group of cytotoxic sponge peptides.     

Fracture Process of Silicon Carbide Fiber-Reinforced Glasses

This paper evaluates the fracture process for fiber-reinforced glasses under tensile loading. Two types of unidirectionally aligned Nicalon SiC-fiber-reinforced glass with different fiber coatings were examined. One channel acoustic emission (AE) measurement was employed during the tensile tests. Probabilistic fracture analysis as well as the replication technique were used to investigate the relation between the AE signals and fracture processes. The AE technique proved to be an effective method for observing fracture processes of the material systems studied. The fracture process could be distinguished in terms of the AE amplitude. AE signals with high amplitudes corresponded to fiber breaking; AE signals with low amplitudes corresponded to matrix cracking, interfacial debonding, and fiber pullout. In the well-toughened material studied the reinforcing fibers would break extensively over 75% load of the ultimate strength.     

Persulfate-induced photochemical decomposition of a fluorotelomer unsaturated carboxylic acid in water

The persulfate (S(2)O(8)(2-))-induced photochemical decomposition of C(3)F(7)CF=CHCOOH in water was investigated to develop a method to neutralize stationary sources of fluorotelomer unsaturated carboxylic acids (FTUCAs), which have recently been detected in the environment, and are considered to be more toxic than the environmentally persistent perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs). Photolysis of S(2)O(8)(2-) produced highly oxidative sulfate radical anions (SO(4)(-)), which efficiently decomposed C(3)F(7)CF=CHCOOH to F(-) and CO(2) via C(3)F(7)COOH. With an initial S(2)O(8)(2-) concentration of 12.5mM and irradiation from a 200-W xenon-mercury lamp, C(3)F(7)CF=CHCOOH at a concentration of 680muM was completely decomposed within 5min. When 8.00mM S(2)O(8)(2-) was used, the initial rate of C(3)F(7)CF=CHCOOH decomposition induced by 254-nm light irradiation was 45 times as high as that with photolysis alone. The apparent quantum yield for the C(3)F(7)CF=CHCOOH decomposition with 6.25mM S(2)O(8)(2-) and 254-nm light was 2.4, indicating that virtually all SO(4)(-) anions produced by the photolysis of S(2)O(8)(2-) contribute to the decomposition of C(3)F(7)CF=CHCOOH.     

Significance of attached cyanobacteria relevant to the occurrence of musty odor in Lake Kasumigaura

The microorganisms and compounds causing musty odor in the second largest lake in Japan, Lake Kasumigaura, where the water is used for drinking, fisheries and agricultural purposes, were examined during the severe occurrence of musty odor in 1989 and 1990. This study was undertaken to determine the microorganisms and their metabolites responsible for the musty odor. Phormidium tenue, which has been reported to be the main contributor of the odor in Lake Kasumigaura, was isolated. Furthermore, four monoxenic strains of the odor producing attached cyanobacteria, Phormidium viscosum, Lyngbya allorgei, Oscillatoria splendida and Phormidium uncinatum, were isolated from submerged rocks and sediments in the lake. All of the four attached strains produced only geosmin, which was confirmed by gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer analysis, in the monoxenic cultures. In particular, we confirmed for the first time that P. viscosum, L. allorgei and P. uncinatum produced geosmin. Both the planktonic Phormidium tenue, a well known 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) producer and geosmin-producing attached cyanobacteria were closely associated with the occurrence of musty odor in Lake Kasumigaura.     

Mass spectrometric analysis for high molecular weight synthetic polymers using ultrasonic degradation and the mechanism of degradation

We have investigated ultrasonic degradations of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEG) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) in aqueous media by means of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS). The ultrasonic degradation of polymers was monitored as a function of ultrasonication duration to examine the structural details of ultrasonic degradation polymers. PEG solution ultrasonication produced five types of oligomers (M approximately 1000 Da) with different end groups, irrespective of the initial average molecular masses (M=2, 6, 20, and 2000 kDa). Several degradation pathways with free radical reactions have been suggested to explain these degradation products: the ultrasonic degradation of PEG is initiated by breaking of the C-O bond in the PEG chain, generating polymeric radicals with two terminal groups, i.e., X*( approximately CH2CH2*) and Y*( approximately CH2CH2O*), followed by termination with extraction or release of a hydrogen atom. However, PMMA (M=1630 Da) ultrasonication generated only one type of degradation oligomer, which has a hydrogen group at both ends, the same as that of the original oligomer. It has been suggested that the presence of the radical terminal groups X*( approximately CH2*) and Y*( approximately (CH3)CCOO(CH3)C*) is due to selective C-C bond breaking in the chain during the ultrasonic degradation of PMMA. The MALDI-TOFMS combined with the ultrasonic degradation technique (UD/MALDI-TOFMS) developed in this study could be extended to the analysis of synthetic polymer structures with high molecular weights.     

Effects of the creep deformation on the fractal dimension of the grain boundaries in an austenite steel

The change in the fractal dimension of the grain boundaries during creep was investigated using an austenitic SUS304 steel at 973 K. The fractal dimension of the grain-boundary surface profile (the fractal dimension of the grain boundaries, D, 1 < D < 2) in the plane parallel to the tensile direction (in the parallel direction) and in the transverse direction, was examined on specimens deformed up to rupture (about 0.30 creep strain). Grain boundaries became serrated and the fractal dimension of the grain boundaries increased with increasing creep strain, because the density of slip lines which formed ledges and steps on grain boundaries increased as the creep strain increased. The increase in the fractal dimension due to creep deformation was slightly larger under the higher stress (118 MPa) than under the lower stress (98 MPa), while the increase of the fractal dimension with strain was a little larger in the specimens tensile-strained at room temperature (293 K) than in the crept specimens. These results were explained by the grain-boundary sliding and the diffusional recovery near grain boundaries, which lowered the increase of the fractal dimension with the creep strain. The fractal dimension of the grain boundaries in the parallel direction was slightly larger than that in the transverse direction in both creep at 973 K and tensile deformation at room temperature, especially at the large strains. This could be correlated with the shape change of the grains by creep or plastic deformation. Grain-boundary cracks were principally initiated at grain-boundary triple junctions in creep, but ledges, steps and carbide precipitates on serrated grain boundaries were not preferential nucleation sites for the cracks.     

Application of AC plasma display panels to radiation detectors

Radiation detector proposals that use plasma display panels are rare. In this work, we confirmed a radiation detector that uses plasma display panels that are focused on the breakdown voltage shift in the ramp waveform. We adapted the cell structures, gas contents, and waveforms of plasma display panels (AC‐PDPs) for radiation detectors. Hard X‐rays and gamma rays induce electron emission into the discharge gas, resulting in generating electrons, electron multiplication, and charge accumulation on dielectrics. The radiation dose rate of hard X‐rays and gamma rays (Cs137) is measured as a breakdown voltage shift between anodes and cathodes. For gamma rays, the detection sensitivity in this experiment is not as high as in the case of hard X‐rays, but the detector can locate gamma rays. These results suggest that adapted AC‐PDPs can detect both hard X‐rays and gamma rays and can be used in a large two‐dimensional radiation detector.