Photoreaction of gold ions from potassium gold cyanide wastewater using solution-combusted ZnO nanopowders

Photoreduction of gold ions from potassium gold cyanide wastewater was tried using the ZnO nanopowder which was synthesized by a unique solution combustion method (SCM). The SCM produced instantaneous high pressure and high temperature (1500–1800 °C) conditions which are desirable to obtain high quality ZnO nanopowders, even though it was not intentionally heated at higher than 100 °C during the synthesis reaction. The high crystalline quality of the ZnO nanopowder seemed to result in high efficiency of gold recovery compared to other commercial photocatalysts such as P-25 TiO₂ nanopowder (Degussa). The wastewater contains many kinds of ions such as K, P, Au, Na, Ni, Cu and Zn ions. Only the gold ions were selectively recovered out of these ions. The gold recovery efficiency of the SCM ZnO nanopowder was about 8.6 folds higher than that of the P-25 TiO₂ nanopowder. The very high selectivity of Au³⁺ ions could be explained by the reduction potential which is placed near the edge of valence band.     

Effect of calcination temperature of mesoporous nickel–alumina catalysts on their catalytic performance in hydrogen production by steam reforming of liquefied natural gas (LNG)

Mesoporous nickel–alumina (Ni–A-NS) catalysts prepared by a non-ionic surfactant-templating method were calcined at various temperatures for use in hydrogen production by steam reforming of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The effect of calcination temperature of nickel–alumina catalysts on their physicochemical properties and catalytic activity for steam reforming of LNG was investigated. Nickel oxide species were finely dispersed on the surface of Ni–A-NS catalysts through the formation of nickel aluminate phase. Reducibility, nickel surface area, and nickel dispersion of Ni–A-NS catalysts decreased with increasing calcination temperature. In the steam reforming of LNG, both LNG conversion and hydrogen composition in dry gas decreased with increasing calcination temperature of Ni–A-NS catalysts. Nickel surface area and reducibility of Ni–A-NS catalysts were well correlated with catalytic performance of the catalysts. Among the catalysts tested, Ni–A-NS700 (nickel–alumina catalyst calcined at 700 °C) with the highest nickel surface area and the highest reducibility exhibited the best catalytic performance.     

Effects of film and substrate dimensions on warpage of film insert molded parts

Three‐dimensional flow and structural analyses were carried out for film insert injection molding to investigate warpage of film insert molded (FIM) parts with respect to variation of film and substrate thickness. Asymmetry of temperature distribution in the thickness direction was increased with increasing film thickness but decreased with increasing substrate thickness. Asymmetry of the in‐mold residual stress distribution in the FIM specimen was generated by the nonuniform temperature distribution, and it was increased with increasing film thickness but reduced with increasing substrate thickness. Warpage of the ejected FIM specimen was determined by relaxation of the asymmetric in‐mold residual stress distribution, and it was increased with increasing film thickness but reduced with increasing substrate thickness. Warpage of FIM specimens annealed at 80°C for 30 min showed complex behavior, and the behavior was understood by using factors such as degree of warpage of the ejected part, thermal shrinkage of the inserted film, and retardation of heat transfer. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene powder coated with epoxy resin: A novel reactive hot melt adhesive

A novel reactive hot melt adhesive was prepared by coating an epoxy resin on maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (MAPE) powder. This adhesive had markedly improved adhesion power compared with pristine MAPE powder, which is normally used as a hot melt adhesive. The generation of an ester linkage by the reaction between the anhydride group of MAPE and the hydroxyl group of epoxy resin, during the bonding operation at 190°C with the pressure of 22 MPa for 30 min, was confirmed from the FTIR spectra. The bond strength was further improved by a small amount of 1‐methylimidazole, which accelerated the esterification reaction. When the epoxy resin was coated on hydrated MAPE, in which the anhydride group of MAPE was converted into carboxylic acid group by the reaction with water, the esterification reaction was much faster than that of pristine MAPE, and consequently, the bond strength of the adhesive was much higher than that of pristine MAPE coated with epoxy resin. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Warpage of a large‐sized orthogonal stiffened plate produced by injection molding and injection compression molding

Rectangular plates of the size of 1800 × 600 × 12 mm³ and 1200 × 600 × 12 mm³ were selected for injection molding and injection compression molding, respectively, in order to investigate warpage characteristics of the large‐sized polymer plates with orthogonal stiffener. To determine the mold system and to reduce warpage of the specimen, numerical analyses for injection molding and injection compression molding were performed by using a commercial simulation code. Experiments were performed to verify the suggested mold system and warpage of the specimen. Relatively large warpage of the injection molded product was observed and small warpage of the injection compression molded product was generated. Compression force of the injection compression molding was only 6% of the clamp force of the injection molding. Warpage of the product was reduced significantly by using the injection compression molding. The injection compression molding will be used to substitute expensive and disused wood forms with inexpensive and recyclable polymer plates for concrete casting. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Revisiting Platinum-Based Anticancer Drugs to Overcome Gliomas

Although there are many patients with brain tumors worldwide, there are numerous difficulties in overcoming brain tumors. Among brain tumors, glioblastoma, with a 5-year survival rate of 5.1%, is the most malignant. In addition to surgical operations, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are generally performed, but the patients have very limited options. Temozolomide is the most commonly prescribed drug for patients with glioblastoma. However, it is difficult to completely remove the tumor with this drug alone. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss the potential of anticancer drugs, other than temozolomide, against glioblastomas. Since the discovery of cisplatin, platinum-based drugs have become one of the leading chemotherapeutic drugs. Although many studies have reported the efficacy of platinum-based anticancer drugs against various carcinomas, studies on their effectiveness against brain tumors are insufficient. In this review, we elucidated the anticancer effects and advantages of platinum-based drugs used in brain tumors. In addition, the cases and limitations of the clinical application of platinum-based drugs are summarized. As a solution to overcome these obstacles, we emphasized the potential of a novel approach to increase the effectiveness of platinum-based drugs.     

Inhibition of Aberrant α(1,2)-Fucosylation at Ocular Surface Ameliorates Dry Eye Disease

Fucosylation is involved in a wide range of biological processes from cellular adhesion to immune regulation. Although the upregulation of fucosylated glycans was reported in diseased corneas, its implication in ocular surface disorders remains largely unknown. In this study, we analyzed the expression of a fucosylated glycan on the ocular surface in two mouse models of dry eye disease (DED), the NOD.B10.H2^b mouse model and the environmental desiccating stress model. We furthermore investigated the effects of aberrant fucosylation inhibition on the ocular surface and DED. Results demonstrated that the level of type 2 H antigen, an α(1,2)-fucosylated glycan, was highly increased in the cornea and conjunctiva both in NOD.B10.H2^b mice and in BALB/c mice subjected to desiccating stress. Inhibition of α(1,2)-fucosylation by 2-deoxy-D-galactose (2-D-gal) reduced corneal epithelial defects and increased tear production in both DED models. Moreover, 2-D-gal treatment suppressed the levels of inflammatory cytokines in the ocular surface and the percentages of IFN-γ⁺CD4⁺ cells in draining lymph nodes, whereas it did not affect the number of conjunctival goblet cells, the MUC5AC level or the meibomian gland area. Together, the findings indicate that aberrant fucosylation underlies the pathogenesis of DED and may be a novel target for DED therapy.     

Effect of the monascus pigment threonine derivative on regulation of the cholesterol level in mice

Different amino acid derivatives were synthesized during cultivation of a Monascus species. Derivatives exhibiting an inhibitory activity against HMG-CoA reductase were screened by in vitro tests. The threonine derivative had a high inhibitory activity of 38% while four other derivatives showed a greater than 23% activity. The orange monascus pigment showed a high activity of 36%. In vivo tests using female C57BL/6 mice were performed with the threonine derivative and orange pigment. Changes in the cholesterol and lipid levels in mice due to addition of the pigments were investigated. The total cholesterol (TC) level of mouse serum was reduced by 8–9% with the threonine derivative and by 16% with orange pigment. Supplementation with the threonine derivative and orange pigment decreased the LDL cholesterol level by 18–26% and increased the HDL cholesterol level by 1–9%. The atherogenic index (AI) value was reduced by 23–27% with pigment supplementation. The anti-atherosclerosis effect of monascus pigments can be induced by control of the lipid content in the serum rather than in the liver of mice.     

A direct integration approach for the estimation of time-dependent boundary heat flux

In a one-dimensional heat conduction domain with heated and insulated walls, an integral approach is proposed to estimate time-dependent boundary heat flux without internal measurements. It is assumed that the expression of the heat flux is not known a priori. Hence, the present inverse heat conduction problem is classified as a function estimation problem. The spatial temperature distribution is approximated as a third-order polynomial of position, whose four coefficients are determined from the heat fluxes and the temperatures at both ends at each measurement. After integrating the heat conduction equation over spatial and time domain, respectively, a simple and non-iterative recursive equation to estimate the time-dependent boundary heat flux is derived. Several examples are introduced to show the effectiveness of the present approach.     

Performance characteristics of mobile heat pump for a large passenger electric vehicle

In this study, the performance of a mobile heat pump for an electric bus, which uses the wasted heat of electric devices for a heating and air source for a cooling, was evaluated. Both cooling and heating performances of the mobile heat pump were tested under various experimental conditions, and then optimized by varying the refrigerant charge and the compressor frequency. The cooling capacity at all compressor frequencies was over 23.0 kW, which is sufficient for the cooling loads of an electric bus. The heating COP decreased but the heating capacity increased with the rise of outdoor temperature and the compressor frequency. The heating COP was 2.4 at an outdoor temperature of 10.0 °C. The observed heating and cooling performance characteristics of the mobile heat pump means it could be used for cabin heating and air conditioning of an electric vehicle with a short driving range.