High-pressure synthesis of cubic BN using Fe–Mo–Al and Co–Mo–Al alloy solvents

The pressure and temperature regions of cubic BN formation were determined using Fe–Mo–Al and Co–Mo–Al ternary alloys as synthetic solvents of cubic BN. The alloy compositions employed in the present study were (in weight percent) Fe60.14–Mo36.86–Al3 and Co57.6–Mo38.4–Al4. The cubic BN was successfully synthesized at minimum pressure of about 4.4 GPa and temperature of about 1250 °C. Pressure and temperature of cubic BN synthesis were decreased drastically by small amount of Al addition into Fe–Mo or Co–Mo alloy solvents. The growth of cubic BN was started at the interface between the molten alloy and the source hexagonal BN. In the present study, we proposed that Fe–Mo and Co–Mo work as solvent of B and N atoms and Al acts as a nucleation agent of cubic BN.     

Establishment of a Rapid Detection System for ISG20-Dependent SARS-CoV-2 Subreplicon RNA Degradation Induced by Interferon-α

Inhaled nebulized interferon (IFN)-α and IFN-β have been shown to be effective in the management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to construct a virus-free rapid detection system for high-throughput screening of IFN-like compounds that induce viral RNA degradation and suppress the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We prepared a SARS-CoV-2 subreplicon RNA expression vector which contained the SARS-CoV-2 5′-UTR, the partial sequence of ORF1a, luciferase, nucleocapsid, ORF10, and 3′-UTR under the control of the cytomegalovirus promoter. The expression vector was transfected into Calu-3 cells and treated with IFN-α and the IFNAR2 agonist CDM-3008 (RO8191) for 3 days. SARS-CoV-2 subreplicon RNA degradation was subsequently evaluated based on luciferase levels. IFN-α and CDM-3008 suppressed SARS-CoV-2 subreplicon RNA in a dose-dependent manner, with IC50 values of 193 IU/mL and 2.54 μM, respectively. HeLa cells stably expressing SARS-CoV-2 subreplicon RNA were prepared and treated with the IFN-α and pan-JAK inhibitor Pyridone 6 or siRNA-targeting ISG20. IFN-α activity was canceled with Pyridone 6. The knockdown of ISG20 partially canceled IFN-α activity. Collectively, we constructed a virus-free rapid detection system to measure SARS-CoV-2 RNA suppression. Our data suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 subreplicon RNA was degraded by IFN-α-induced ISG20 exonuclease activity.     

带脱层的复合材料层板的屈曲分析

用基于Mindlin 板理论的有限元方法进行了带脱层损伤的复合材料层板的屈曲载荷分析。为了获得物理上可能的屈曲模态, 即避免上下脱层的相互贯穿, 在接触区域引入一些假想弹簧, 并给出了这些假想弹簧刚度系数的计算公式和接触计算的迭代格式, 通过这些弹簧对原始刚度矩阵进行修正可以有效地求解屈曲载荷特征值分析中的接触问题。数值计算结果表明了本算法的有效性和引入接触分析对这类屈曲分析的重要性。同时, 还对脱层的大小、形状、位置和脱层的纤维铺层方向对屈曲载荷的影响进行了研究。      

Influence of water absorption on high‐frequency characteristics of insulation layers of printed circuit boards

The influence of water absorption on complex permittivities of various insulating materials used for printed circuit boards was investigated in the frequency range of K‐band (18–26 GHz). Experimental results revealed that the influence of water absorption on complex permittivity, the dielectric loss factor tanδ, in particular, was considerably high. For example, the dielectric loss of polyimide film at 85°C, 85% RH became 10 times larger than that at room temperature and humidity. Since the complex permittivities, however, retained the initial values when the specimens are dried, the water in the specimen should exist freely at the internal interfaces of the materials. The increase of permittivity directly affects the performance of printed circuit boards at high frequencies, so that it is important to clarify the influence of water on dielectric properties of insulations. Copyright © 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

On the so-called “semi-ionic” C–F bond character in fluorine–GIC

The short-range structures of fluorine–graphite intercalation compounds with stage-1 structures, C_xF (x = 2.47, 2.84, 3.61), were analyzed by means of neutron diffraction. It has been shown that the so-called “semi-ionic” C–F bond character in C_xF is essentially covalent with the bond length of 0.140 nm, and the original planar graphene sheets are buckled at the sp³-hybridized carbon atoms bound to fluorine atoms. Conjugated C–C double bonds with the bond length of 0.142 nm are preserved between the carbon atoms unbound to fluorine atoms in C_xF, while other C–C bonds are single bonds with the bond lengths of 0.153 nm. The C–F bond order in C_xF is slightly lower than those in poly(carbon monofluoride) ((CF)_n) and poly(dicarbon monofluoride) ((C₂F)_n), which is explained by the hyperconjugation involving the C–C bonds on the carbon sheets and C–F bond.     

Bearing capacity of reinforced foundation subjected to pull-out loading in 2D and 3D conditions

Steel-framed structures like electricity transmission towers are subjected to great pull-out forces under strong wind conditions. This paper analyses how caisson foundations with reinforcement bars can increase the uplift bearing capacity of those structures. Model tests and numerical analyses in 2D and 3D are used to investigate how the bars' position and direction affect the behavior of the foundation under different load conditions. The test results show that reinforcements stemming diagonally downward from the bottom of the foundation are the most effective against uplift loading because they increase the structure's bearing capacity. However, this gain is less significant when inclined uplift forces are applied to the foundation. The higher the force inclination angle, the less efficient the design becomes. In that case, reinforcements that stem from the foundation's bottom are more effective than those stemming from the foundation's side. The numerical results accurately describe the experimental findings, since the simulations accounted appropriately for both the mechanical behaviors of the soil and the reinforcement as well as the frictional behavior between them. Furthermore, the results from the model tests and analyses carried out in 3D and 2D conditions are compatible.     

Pressure induced phase transformation in BaWO4

A new dense form of BaWO₄(BaWO₄-II) was prepared under high pressure. The phase boundary between the normal pressure form (BaWO₄-I, scheelite structure) and BaWO₄-II was determined as P(kb) = 26.₇+0.26₅T(°C), (T=600–1000 °(C). Crystallographic data were obtained from the single crystal and powder X-ray analyses. BaWO₄-II is monoclinic with 8 formula units in the unit cell. The possible space group is $\text{P}\text{2}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>n</mtext>}}$ and the cell parameters are; $\text{a}\text{= 13.159}\text{A}\text{?}\text{,}\text{b}\text{= 7.161}\text{A}\text{?}\text{,}\text{c}\text{= 7.499}\text{A}\text{?}\text{, β = 93.76°}$ and the cell $\text{volume}\text{= 705}\text{A}\text{?}{}^3$. The volume decrease upon transformation is estimated to be 12.1%.     

Anodic surface oxidation mechanisms of PAN-based and pitch-based carbon fibres

In order to clarify the differences in the anodic surface oxidation mechanisms of PAN-based and pitch-based carbon fibres, the fibres were oxidized in an electrolyte and characterized using the coulostatic method, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, laser Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The interfacial bonding strength to an epoxy resin was evaluated based on the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS). The results showed a good correlation between the differential double layer capacities, which were measured with the coulostatic method, and the ILSS values of PAN-based high tensile strength carbon fibres (PAN-HTCFs), PAN-based high modulus carbon fibres (PAN-HMCFs), and pitch-based high modulus carbon fibres (pitch-HMCFs). Their morphologies for the anodic oxidation were as follows: PAN-HTCFs are anodized homogeneously; pitch-HMCFs are selectively oxidized and promote crevice etching; and PAN-HMCFs resist crevice etching due to the many defects in the hexagonal network.