Electrochemical oxidation of cholesterol catalyzed by cholesterol oxidase with use of an artificial electron mediator

Several redox dyes of phenazine and phenothiazine derivatives including 1-methoxy-5-methylphenazinium methosulfate (MPMS), thionin, azure A, and azure C work well as electron acceptors for reduced cholesterol oxidase (EC 1.1.3.6) (ChOx). Kinetic parameters and equilibrium constants of the enzymatic oxidation of cholesterol obtained suggest that the molecular size and/or hydrophobicity of the redox dyes determines their abilities as the electron acceptors. The electrochemical sensitivity to cholesterol in the detection system using ChOx and the above-mentioned redox compounds is determined by the electron acceptability of the redox compounds, and the employment of either MPMS or thionin allows electrochemical determination of cholesterol at a low electrode potential (0 V vs SCE) in the concentration range 0.25-2.5 mmol dm(-3), which covers that in normal human blood.     

Identifying through-thickness material properties of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics using the virtual fields method combined with moiré interferometry

An investigation into the use of a novel curved-beam composite specimen is conducted to measure the interlaminar (through-thickness) tensile properties of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic. A combination of a numerical model and full-field displacement/strain measurement with moiré interferometry is utilized in this study. Through-thickness material properties are identified from the measured displacement distribution using the virtual fields method. Because of the shape and the loading condition of the proposed curved composite beam, both tensile and shear stresses exist in the through-the-thickness direction. Therefore, the interlaminar tensile modulus, as well as the interlaminar shear modulus, can be evaluated. The measurement results by moiré interferometry provide the material properties through inverse analysis.     

Local out-of-plane deformation of CFRP ablator subjected to rapid heating

This study investigates local out-of-plane deformation of a carbon fiber reinforced phenolic polymer ablator subjected to very rapid heating. Local out-of-plane deformation was measured using a three-dimensional digital image correlation technique at high temperatures. This was achieved by attaching high temperature resistant random patterns on the specimen surface using a ceramic bond. Additionally, blue filters intended for cutting strong infrared radiation from the specimen were also used. This study then discusses the mechanisms of the local out-of-plane deformation under rapid heating conditions in terms of carbonization, pyrolysis gas occurrence, gas pressure storage, and interlaminar debonding due to gas pressure.     

High-temperature tribological properties of spark-plasma-sintered Al2O3 composites containing barite-type structure sulfates

Al₂O₃–50BaSO₄–20Ag, Al₂O₃–50BaSO₄–10SiO₂, Al₂O₃–50(mass%)SrSO₄, Al₂O₃–50PbSO₄–5SiO₂, Al₂O₃–50BaSO₄ and Al₂O₃–50BaCrO₄ composites (mass%) were prepared by spark plasma sintering and their microstructure and high-temperature tribological properties were evaluated. Al₂O₃–50BaSO₄–20Ag composites (mass%) showed the lowest friction coefficients at the temperature ranging from 473 to 1073 K. Thin Ag film was observed on the wear tracks of the composites above 473 K. In addition, the friction coefficients of Al₂O₃ composites containing SrSO₄ and PbSO₄ were as low as those of Al₂O₃–BaSO₄ and Al₂O₃–BaCrO₄ composites at the temperatures up to 1073 K. The thin films formed on the wear tracks of the Al₂O₃–SrSO₄ composites were composed of Al₂O₃ and SrSO₄ phases, while the films formed on the wear tracks of the Al₂O₃–PbSO₄–SiO₂ composites consisted of Al₂O₃, PbSO₄ and SiO₂ phases.     

Micro cutting in the micro lathe turning system

As an application of cutting for the manufacture of micro mechanical parts and as a trial of the development of a miniature machining system matching the micro size of the work piece, a micro lathe turning system has been developed. A work material 0.3 mm in diameter is clamped and cut to a minimum of 10 μm in diameter with a rotation speed up to 15,000 rpm. The whole size of the equipment is about 200 mm which can be set under an optical microscope. A micro diamond single point tool has been applied to the cutting of various shapes, and the usefulness of such a micro cutting tool for the various forms has been confirmed. Cutting force has been investigated using a three directional force sensor and the possibility of the reduction of resistant force to improve working accuracy and to apply to micro parts has been examined.     

Inter-laboratory validation studies of biological method for determination of streptomycin in royal jelly

Inter-laboratory validation studies were conducted in 6 laboratories to validate the biological method for determination of streptomycin in royal jelly. Streptomycin spiked at the level of 0.2 and 1.0 ppm was analyzed. Mean recoveries were 89 and 96%, reproducibility relative standard deviations (RSD(R)) were 15.0 and 14.0%, HORRAT(R) values were 0.7 and 0.9. Samples containing residues at the levels of 0.25 and 0.80 ppm were analyzed. Mean recoveries were 113 and 99%, RSD(R) were 15.0 and 10.4%, and HORRAT(R) values were 0.8 and 0.6. The determination limit was 0.1 ppm. These results show that this method has good performance.     

Viscoelastic Stress Analysis of a Strip Plate under Moving Contact with Dry Friction

Moving contact problems in a viscoelastic body with a rigidindentor are often seen in an industrial field. An evaluation of thetime-temperature-dependent stress and strain behavior around a contactregion is required in order to make clear the fundamental mechanism ofthe local fracture and wear on the contact surface of the viscoelasticbody under moving loads with dry friction. No analyses have yet beenpublished about the stress/strain of the viscoelastic moving contactproblem with the dry friction using both an experimental and a numericalmethod. The authors discuss an experimental and a numerical model forthe analysis of not only the viscoelastic stress and strain, but alsodeformations, taking into consideration the dry friction. Animage-processing-aided photoviscoelastic technique is applied foranalyzing the principal stress and strain behavior near the contactregion. Also, a two-dimensional plane stress model which consists of aviscoelastic strip and a rigid sliding cylinder is adopted in a finiteelement analysis of the same problem. The time-dependent stress andstrain and the coefficient of dry friction are successfully evaluated byexperimental and numerical methods.     

Study on crack propagation behavior in a quenched glass plate

Crack pattern transition and crack propagation behavior in a quenched glass plate are investigated. Theoretical analysis indicates that the distance between the crack tip and the cold front is closely related to the crack pattern transition. This theoretical result is examined experimentally using instantaneous phase-stepping photoelasticity. As expected theoretically, when the crack tip remains close enough to the cold front, crack propagation remains straight. When this distance reaches a given value, the crack oscillates. These experimental results are in good agreement with the theory of crack pattern transition. Therefore, present theoretical analysis is valid in predicting the instability of crack propagation. The crack tip stress field is also examined by the present experimental method. In particular, in the oscillating regime, the mode-I stress intensity factor frequently becomes larger than the fracture toughness, and the mode-II stress intensity factor has a nonzero value during propagation. For the former result, some reasons are discussed, but the cause of this problem is still unknown. However, the latter result can be explained by the theoretical analysis of an infinitesimal kinked edge crack just after crack initiation.     

Performance dependence of InGaAs MSM photodetectors on barrier-enhancement layer structures

The advantage of the graded superlattice layer over the abrupt junction is demonstrated for the continuous wave (CW) and pulse responses of InGaAs metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors (MSM PDs). The measured pulsewidth of 44 ps for the 0.75 mu m MSM PD with the graded superlattice layer when corrected for the measurement system bandwidth implies an impulse response of 22 ps.<>