Processing of nanolitre liquid plugs for microfluidic cell-based assays

Plugs, i.e. droplets formed in a microchannel, may revolutionize microfluidic cell-based assays. This study describes a microdevice that handles nanolitre-scale liquid plugs for the preparation of various culture setups and subsequent cellular assays. An important feature of this mode of liquid operation is that the recirculation flow generated inside the plug promotes the rapid mixing of different solutions after plugs are merged, and it keeps cell suspensions homogeneous. Thus, serial dilutions of reagents and cell suspensions with different cell densities and cell types were rapidly performed using nanolitres of solution. Cells seeded through the plug processing grew well in the microdevice, and subsequent plug processing was used to detect the glucose consumption of cells and cellular responses to anticancer agents. The plug-based microdevice may provide a useful platform for cell-based assay systems in various fields, including fundamental cell biology and drug screening applications.     

Intermediate hydrocarbon species for the CO2-CH4 reaction on supported Ni catalysts

By using pulse surface reaction rate analysis (PSRA), the detailed structure of the intermediate hydrocarbon species was revealed by measuring the dynamic behavior of both CO and H₂ produced from the CO₂-CH₄ reaction on supported Ni catalysts. It was found that the number of hydrogen atoms involved in the intermediate was different from one catalyst support to another: 2.7 for MgO, 2.5 for ZnO, 2.4 for Al₂O₃,1.9 for TiO₂, and 1.0 for SiO₂.     

A study on the preparation of supported metal oxide catalysts using JRC-reference catalysts. I. Preparation of a molybdena–alumina catalyst. Part 4. Preparation parameters and impact index

The effects of the volume and pH of the impregnation solution and of the calcination conditions were examined on the physicochemical and catalytic properties of a 13 wt% MoO₃/Al₂O₃ extrudate catalyst. The Al₂O₃ support and drying procedures (static conditions without flowing air) were fixed in the preparations. In the present series of catalysts, the amount of crystalline MoO₃ was marginally small. It was found that the dispersion of Mo oxide species increased as the volume of the impregnation solution increased, gradually approaching a maximum value. The increase in pH (2–8) of the impregnation solution was found to reduce the dispersion of Mo oxide species. The Mo dispersion increased slightly for the impregnation catalysts as the calcination temperature increased (673–873 K), whereas it decreased for the equilibrium adsorption catalysts. The effects of the calcination atmosphere (with or without flowing air, or with flowing humid air) were very small on the dispersion of Mo oxide species under the present preparation conditions. On the other hand, the methanol oxidation activity of MoO₃/Al₂O₃ was sensitive to the preparation parameters examined here. It was demonstrated by means of EPMA and XPS that a considerable migration of Mo took place during the calcination.

In the present study on the preparation of a 13 wt% MoO₃/Al₂O₃ catalyst, an impact index is proposed to measure the magnitude of the effects of the respective parameter(s) on the physicochemical and catalytic properties. With the Mo dispersion, the effects of the preparation parameter decreased in the order, surface area of the support >> drying process > volume of the impregnation solution > pH, calcination temperature and atmosphere. The size of the impact index for the dispersion of Mo sulfide species is 70–75% of that for the Mo oxide species. The HDS activity of the catalyst was less affected by the preparation parameters than the Mo sulfide dispersion. The preparation parameters affected the segregation of Mo on the outer surface of extrudates in a decreasing order: drying process > volume of the impregnation solution > pH, calcination conditions. It was found that the oxidation of methanol was affected most intensely by the drying procedures. The volume of the impregnation solution, calcination conditions and pH of the impregnation solution also strongly affected the oxidation activity. The impact index suggests that the sensitivity to the preparation variables of the physicochemical and catalytic properties of MoO₃/Al₂O₃ decreases in the order, methanol oxidation activity > surface Mo segregation > Mo oxide dispersion > Mo sulfide dispersion > HDS activity.     

Flexible media — recent developments from the tribology point of view

With the increase in the recording density of hard disk systems, the demand on the increase in the data recording capacity of tape drive systems as back-up systems is increasing. One of the advantages of the tape drive systems is high volumetric recording density, which is obtained by high areal recording density and thin tapes. The areal recording density can be increased by introducing high performance tapes, such as metal evaporated tapes, with superior magnetic characteristics and smooth magnetic surface to reduce the spacing loss. However, a smoother surface often produces a higher friction coefficient, which could cause tape damage by rotary heads and unstable tape runnability in the tape drives. Adoption of MR heads to tape drive systems is also effective in increasing the areal recording density. However, the wear allowance of the MR heads (shield type) is much smaller than that of the inductive heads. Thinner tapes show lower mechanical stiffness in general, which could cause damage to tape edges easily during tape transportation. In the second or later generation of tape drive systems, a thinner tape is often introduced. These thinner tapes should also have the interchangeability of the original thickness tape. New materials for a base film, such as PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) or aramid in which the elastic moduli are larger than those of PET, are required for thinner tapes. It was found that these side effects by the increase in the volumetric recording density can be improved by tribology. The tribological improvements from the drive design side is very important, as well as from the tape design side.     

Collapse of partially corroded or worn pipe under external pressure

This paper is concerned with the effect of internal corrosion or erosion defects on the collapse of pipelines under external pressure. Experiments are conducted on SS-304 tubes with D/t's of 21.0 and 18.7 with axially uniform grooves of several thicknesses and angular spans of 6–60°. All specimens exhibited the classical ovalization mode of collapse with the grooved side being more deformed. For groove angles between 6° and 20° the collapse pressure decreases as the angle increases but remains essentially constant for angles between 20° and 60°. The collapse pressure was found to decrease with groove depth, reducing by nearly 50% when the groove depth reached 50% of the pipe wall thickness. The experiments were simulated numerically using both the custom computer code BEPTICO as well as an axially uniform finite element model. The predictions were found to follow closely the trends of the experimental results. The three dimensionality of grooves was examined using appropriate finite element models. It was found that grooves shorter than about 8D constitute local imperfections and accurate prediction of their effect on collapse pressure requires fully 3-D modeling. By contrast, grooves 10D long or longer behave essentially as “long” grooves and can be analyzed using 2-D models.     

Heat and moisture balance simulation of a building with vapor-open envelope system for subtropical regions

Global warming and the resource depletion induced discussions on sustainable developments within the construction sector. Also the rapid urbanization in subtropical regions is becoming one of the most important global issues. Appropriate measures must be taken in such developments to avoid further damage to the environment. In this study, the heat and moisture balance simulation of building with a sustainable building envelope system for subtropical climate was proposed. In the moisture balance simulation the moisture buffering by the interior materials was taken into account. The prediction of moisture buffer value (MBV) of the interior finishing materials was attempted and validated by measurements. Subsequently, the whole building calculation was carried out and the contribution of the moisture buffering to the indoor comfort and energy consumption was investigated. The MBVs of the mineral-based materials were predicted with high accuracy. However, that of wood-based composite was much higher than the experimental value. In order to create a more accurate model, nonlinear moisture conductance should be accounted when modeling wood-based materials. The heating and cooling demand of a test house was 9.4 kWh/m² and 14.5 kWh/m², respectively. It was concluded that the utilization of the building envelope system has a high potential to provide sustainable houses in subtropical regions. In order to enhance both energy efficiency and indoor comfort of buildings in subtropical regions, there still is a strong need to develop a holistic method to find the optimum building design considering not only moisture buffering but also all the relevant factors. The presented model will be validated by in-situ measurements in the near future.     

东京中心城区的规划历程及其现状——探索迈向成熟都市的阶梯

在梳理东京都城市中心的形成以及城市规划史的基础上,通过选取两大重要的中心街区(丸之内办公街区、银座商业街区)作为案例,进一步剖析近代东京中心城区的形成,以及此后逐步迈向地域主导的规划方式的过程。其中特别着重考察在中心城区形成、发展、更新的过程中将承载了各个历史阶段记忆的街区特征(基因)传承下来并延续到未来的探索和努力。     

Development of effective detection method for Coxiella burnetii in mayonnaise by real-time PCR and investigation of C. burnetii contamination in commercial mayonnaise in Tokyo

A PCR method for the effective detection of Coxiella burnetii in commercially available mayonnaise was developed. Sample preparations were isolated from 50 g portions of each mayonnaise product by four successive extraction steps in phosphate buffer with 2.0 M NaCl. These extracts were then centrifuged at 20,000 x g for 60 min. DNA was isolated from the solution containing the precipitate with a commercial kit, and amplified quantitatively using real-time PCR that targeted the com1 region of C. burnetii. The recoveries of C. burnetii from 2 kinds of commercial mayonnaise specimens, with a baseline control of 1 x 10(7) particles of the Nine Mile phase II strain, were 85.0 +/- 6.0% and 72.0 +/- 0.4%, respectively. The determination limit of this method was 500 C. burnetii particles per 50 g of mayonnaise. The DNA specimens isolated from 50 different commercial mayonnaise samples sold in Tokyo using this method were amplified using both nested PCR and real-time PCR. No contamination by C. burnetii was detected in any of the mayonnaise samples.     

Effects of lipase,lipoxygenase, peroxidase and free fatty acids on volatile compound found in boiled buckwheat noodles

BACKGROUND: Relationships between buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) flour lipase, lipoxygenase and peroxidase activity, along with levels of individual free fatty acids (FFAs) and levels of headspace volatile compounds of boiled buckwheat noodles, were investigated for 12 different buckwheat varieties. Enzyme activities and FFA levels in flour were correlated with their respective varietal arrays of boiled noodle headspace volatile compounds, measured by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The volatiles hexanal, tentative butanal, tentative 3‐methylbutanal and tentative 2‐methylbutanal showed significant positive correlation with one another, indicating that they may be generated through similar mechanisms. These important volatile components of buckwheat flavor were also positively correlated with lipase and/or peroxidase activity, indicating that enzymatic reactions are important in flavor generation in boiled buckwheat noodles. On the other hand, pentanal, which showed no significant correlation with any enzyme activity, showed a significant positive correlation to the levels of C18:2 and C18:3 FFAs, suggesting the existence of a ‘non‐enzymatic’ and/or ‘uncertain enzymatic pathway’ for flavor generation in boiled buckwheat noodles. CONCLUSION: Lipase and peroxidase in buckwheat flour are important for flavor generation of boiled buckwheat noodles. This information is important for increasing desirable flavor of buckwheat products as well as for selecting varieties with improved flavor. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Experimental study on latent heat storage characteristics of W/O emulsion -Supercooling rate of dispersed water drops by direct contact heat exchange-

Recently, much attention has been paid to investigate the latent heat storage system. Using of ice heat storage system brings an equalization of electric power demand, because it will solved the electric -power-demand-concentration on day-time of summer by the air conditioning. The flowable latent heat storage material, Oil/Water type emulsion, microencapsulated latent heat material-water mixture or ice slurry, etc., is enable to transport the latent heat in a pipe. The flowable latent heat storage material can realize the pipe size reduction and system efficiency improvement. Supercooling phenomenon of the dispersed latent heat storage material in continuous phase brings the obstruction of latent heat storage. The latent heat storage rates of dispersed water drops in W/O (Water/Oil) emulsion are investigated experimentally in this study. The water drops in emulsion has the diameter within 3 ～ 25μm, the averaged water drop diameter is 7.3μm and the standard deviation is 2.9μm. The direct contact heat exchange method is chosen as the phase change rate evaluation of water drops in W/O emulsion. The supercooled temperature and the cooling rate are set as parameters of this study. The evaluation is performed by comparison between the results of this study and the past research. The obtained experimental result is shown that the 35K or more degree from melting point brings 100% latent heat storage rate of W/O emulsion. It was clarified that the supercooling rate of dispersed water particles in emulsion shows the larger value than that of the bulk water.