A study on performance optimization of a toilet by measuring accumulated flow rate of a trapway

When water shortages occur, toilet water-saving becomes an effective way to solve the problem. We developed a new method that utilizes the accumulated flow rate to predict the flushing performance and to obtain design data for the development of high-efficiency toilets. The results showed that the length and shape of the trapway are the most important factors for flushing performance, and additional water saving can be achieved by delaying the opening of the trapway outlet valve. In addition, the tank water level in the water tank needs to be optimized considering siphon intensity as well as siphon duration. In conclusion, the toilet was optimized up to 6.5 kg of water using 60 mm diameter flexible tube by the method of accumulated flow rate measurement. In the future, the development of an ultra high efficiency toilet below 4.5 kg will be tried utilizing the method.     

High-frequency dual mode pulsed wave Doppler imaging for monitoring the functional regeneration of adult zebrafish hearts

Adult zebrafish is a well-known small animal model for studying heart regeneration. Although the regeneration of scars made by resecting the ventricular apex has been visualized with histological methods, there is no adequate imaging tool for tracking the functional recovery of the damaged heart. For this reason, high-frequency Doppler echocardiography using dual mode pulsed wave Doppler, which provides both tissue Doppler (TD) and Doppler flow in a same cardiac cycle, is developed with a 30 MHz high-frequency array ultrasound imaging system. Phantom studies show that the Doppler flow mode of the dual mode is capable of measuring the flow velocity from 0.1 to 15 cm s⁻¹ with high accuracy (p-value = 0.974 > 0.05). In the in vivo study of zebrafish, both TD and Doppler flow signals were simultaneously obtained from the zebrafish heart for the first time, and the synchronized valve motions with the blood flow signals were identified. In the longitudinal study on the zebrafish heart regeneration, the parameters for diagnosing the diastolic dysfunction, for example, E/Em < 10, E/A < 0.14 for wild-type zebrafish, were measured, and the type of diastolic dysfunction caused by the amputation was found to be similar to the restrictive filling. The diastolic function was fully recovered within four weeks post-amputation.     

Fabrication and evaluation of a drag-force type dual flow sensor with an embedded temperature sensor

Microsystem Technologies - We designed and fabricated a drag-force type dual flow sensor with an embedded temperature sensor. For the wide range detection, two devices in varying length (300 and...     

Implication of Size-Controlled Graphite Nanosheets as Building Blocks for Thermal Conductive Three-Dimensional Framework Architecture of Nanocarbons

Preparation of three-dimensional (3D) networks has received significant attention as an effective approach for applications involving transport phenomena, such as thermal management materials, and several nanomaterials have been examined as potential building blocks of 3D networks for the improvement of heat conduction in polymer nanocomposites. For that purpose, nanocarbons such as graphene and graphite nanoplatelets have been spotlighted as suitable filler materials because of their excellent thermal conductivities (ca. 10²–10³ W·(m·K)^?1 along their lateral axes) and morphological merits. However, the implications of morphological features such as the lateral length and thickness of graphene or graphene-like materials have not yet been identified. In this study, a controlled dissociation of bulk graphite to graphite nanosheets (GNSs) using a low-cost, ecofriendly bead mill process was extensively examined and, when configured in a 3D framework architecture formation, the size-controlled GNSs demonstrated that the thermal conductivities of a 3D interconnected framework of GNSs and the corresponding polymer nanocomposite were intimately correlated with the size of the GNSs, thus demonstrating the successful preparation of an efficient thermal management material without highly sophisticated efforts. The capability of controlling the lateral size and thickness of the GNSs as well as the use of a 3D interconnected framework architecture should greatly assist the commercialization of high-quality graphene-based thermal management materials in a scalable production process.     

Analysis of ethanol in soy sauce using electronic nose for halal food certification

The purpose of this study was to analyze ethanol content in soy sauce using mass spectrometry (MS) with electronic nose (e-nose) to determine if MS e-nose can replace gas chromatographic analysis for halal certification. Gas chromatography–flame ionization detector (GC-FID), the standard method of ethanol content, was used to analyze 24 different kinds of soy sauce. Ethanol was detected from 13 soy sauce samples in the concentration range of 0.0004–1.7wt%. The MS e-nose data were analyzed by discriminant function analysis (DFA). Based on an addition method, the results were more than 96.6% accurate when the ethanol concentrations were greater than 0.5%. A high correlation between the first score of the DFA plot and the ethanol concentration was observed. Thus, mass spectrometry based on e-nose is an efficient method for determining ethanol as a primary screening tool for halal certification.     

A prioritization method for replacement of water mains using rank aggregation

Pipe breaks in municipal water distribution networks may cause serious damage economically and socially. Existing methods for replacement scheduling of pipes do not provide practical indicators for replacing an individual deteriorated pipe. This work formulates the selection problem as the decision of preference ordering or ranking and proposes a bipartite ranking-based approach. The suggested approach also considers loss from broken pipes in terms of the costs associated with broken water main and its repair. We use rank aggregation method to integrate multiple ranks into replacement order of water mains. The suggested framework prioritizes current pipe sections for replacement based on the aggregated ranks. Multiple ranks given by the reliability of water pipe sections are aggregated and a cost effective policy for pipe replacement is derived.     

Computational Analysis of Oxide Ion Conduction in Orthorhombic Perovskite Structured La0.9A0.1InO2.95 (A = Ca,Sr and Ba)

Oxide ion conduction in orthorhombic perovskite structured oxides, La_0.9A_0.1InO_2.95 (A = Ca, Sr and Ba) is analyzed using molecular dynamics simulation. Factors influencing oxide ion conductivity of the compositions considered are analyzed using radial distribution function, bond energies between dopant and oxide ions, and the diffusion path. It is known that perovskite oxides with smaller ion size mismatch between host and dopant ions have higher electrical conductivities. However, exceptions exist, such as a La_0.9A_0.1InO_2.95 (A = Ca, Sr and Ba) system, where high electrical conductivities occur with large ion size mismatches. Based on this study, a dopant with smaller ion than host ion results in the formation of strong ionic bonds with oxide ions, suggesting that the A‐site dopant should be larger than the host ion for forming weaker O–A bonds. Consequently, the trade‐off between ion size mismatch and O–A bond needs to be considered for enhancing oxide ion conductivity of perovskite oxides.