Formulation of a standard deviate observer by a nonlinear optimization technique

A standard deviate observer (SDO) has been formulated that can predict the average color mismatches of metameric color pairs by 20 Stiles' observers. A nonlinear optimization technique, rather than a statistical analysis, has been employed to derive it. The colorimetric characteristics of the present SDO are compared with those of SDOs previously proposed.     

Transport of direct dye into cellulose membrane

The dyeing process for a cellulose membrane–direct dye system is analyzed based on a parallel transport mechanism of surface and pore diffusion with Freundlich isotherm. Numerical solutions were obtained in order to clarify how the surface and pore diffusion resistances affect the uptake curve. The numerical solutions were also compared with an analytical solution for surface diffusion control to establish the range where the analytical solution can be considered as an acceptable approximation. The uptake curves in the cellulose membrane-chromophore (C.I. Direct Yellow 12) system in the presence of inorganic electrolyte were measured. The rate of adsorption and the maximum amount of adsorption increased with an increase in the concentration of those electrolytes. The rate of adsorption was approximately controlled by the surface diffusion rather than by pore diffusion. The surface diffusivities of the dye were little affected by either the concentration and or nature of the electrolyte.     

CMOS retinal prosthesis with on-chip electrode impedance measurement

A retinal prosthesis device with built-in self-test capability is proposed and demonstrated. The measurement of electrode impedance as a self-test is achieved without increasing the chip area by employing analogue multiplexers to allow the electrodes to be used for both stimulation of retinal cells and measurement of impedance. Measurement is performed using a four-terminal method to ensure good accuracy. A prototype stimulus chip with 16/spl times/16 channels is fabricated using standard 0.6 /spl mu/m CMOS technology, and is demonstrated to provide self-test functionality with error of as little as 0.05% in the frequency range of 100 Hz to 100 kHz.     

Numerical Modeling of an Earthquake-Induced Landslide Considering the Strain-Softening Characteristics at the Bedding Plane

The damage caused by an earthquake-induced landslide can generally be classified as either a limited deformation or a catastrophic failure. From an engineering point of view, the latter can be much more dangerous because the sliding mass may continue moving until it collides with another object. If a catastrophic failure occurs near a river, the debris may block the river, causing serious damage to the adjacent area. Therefore, examination of the mechanism of such catastrophic slope failures is important with respect to the mitigation of earthquake disasters in mountainous districts, although numerical modeling of such phenomena is rather difficult. In the present study, a new numerical model is developed to simulate an earthquake-induced catastrophic landslide that occured at a typical dip slope, namely, the Yokowatashi Landslide in Japan. In this case, the upper part of the bedrock on the planer tectonic dip surface slid more than 70 m. Only shear-strength degradation at the bedding plane could cause such a long-distance traveling failure. To investigate the strain-softening characteristics of the materials that filled the bedding plane, a series of laboratory tests involving undisturbed block samples was performed. The measured stress-displacement relationships under cyclic loading were numerically modeled as a newly proposed elasto-plastic constitutive model to be used in numerical simulations of landslide, based on the dynamic finite element method. The observed phenomena were appropriately simulated by the proposed method. The mechanism of catastrophic failure is discussed in detail in this paper in order to clarify the relationships between the strain-softening characteristics and the global slope stability. Our newly proposed method to evaluate the possibility of a catastrophic failure was applied to the landslide, and the moment when the slope becomes unstable was able to be predicted. The results confirm that the proposed method can predict the catastrophic failure of a slope.     

Nitritation performance in membrane-aerated biofilm reactors differs from conventional biofilm systems

Nitrogen removal via nitrite has gained increasing attention in recent years due to its potential cost savings. Membrane-aerated biofilm reactors (MABRs) are one potential technology suitable to achieve nitritation. In this study we compared lab scale MABRs with conventional biofilm reactors to evaluate the influence of environmental conditions and operational parameters on nitritation performance. The oxygen mass transfer rate is postulated as a crucial parameter to control nitritation in the MABR: Clean water measurements showed significant underestimation of the total oxygen mass transfer, however, accurate determination of the oxygen mass transfer coefficient (k_m) of the system could be achieved by adjusting the liquid-phase mass transfer resistance in the constructed model. Batch experiments at different initial ammonium concentrations revealed that the conventional biofilm geometry was superior for nitritation compared to MABRs. These differences were reflected well in estimates of the oxygen affinity constants of the key microbial players, AOB and NOB (K_O,AOB < K_O,NOB (in both systems) and K_O,NOB values smaller in the MABR vs. the conventional biofilm system). It also appeared that – in addition to oxygen limitation – the absolute and relative substrate concentrations in the biofilm (esp. of oxygen) are very important for successful nitritation. Initial biomass composition, furthermore, impacted reactor performance in the MABR systems indicating the need for appropriate inoculum choice.     

Purification and characterization of a protease from Pseudomonas aeruginosa grown in cutting oil

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa san-ai strain was isolated from water-soluble cutting oil used for cooling and lubrication during industrial metal-working processes. This strain, which is grown in a high alkaline (pH 10) mixture of surfactants and mineral oil, produces an extracellular proteolytic enzyme. We have purified and characterized this 18 kDa protease. The P. aeruginosa san-ai protease functions optimally at pH 9.0 and 60 degrees C. Additionally, it is a Zn-containing metalloenzyme, and its monomeric structure contains at least one disulfide bond. Because the enzyme is stable in the presence of organic solvents, it is suitable for peptide synthesis. Furthermore, the P. aeruginosa san-ai protease could be used in an intelligent drug delivery system (DDS) designed for applications in the metal industry for prevention of putrefaction of cutting oil.     

Functional characterization and evolutionary implication of the internal 157-amino-acid sequence of an exoinulinase from Penicillium sp. strain TN-88

An extracellular exoinulinase from the filamentous fungus Penicillium sp. strain TN-88 has a 14-fold higher specific activity of 743 U/mg toward inulin than its equivalent from the Aspergillus niger strain 12 and possesses an internal 157-amino-acid sequence whose corresponding region is absent in the A. niger enzyme. On the basis of sequence alignment, the internal region D' encoding the 157-amino-acid sequence in the Penicillium exoinulinase gene inuD cDNA was inserted into the site between the nucleotides 897 and 898 of the A. niger exoinulinase gene inuE cDNA. The resultant inuE::D' fusion was expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris. The K(m) value of the secreted hybrid enzyme InuE::D' for inulin hydrolysis was about 1/15 that of the A. niger InuE, whereas its k(cat) value did not differ greatly from that of the InuE. These observations indicate that the Penicillium exoinulinase has evolved by the horizontal transfer and integration of a relevant DNA segment and that the internal sequence D' functions as an additional noncatalytic inulin-affinity region.     

Development of a novel aptamer-based sensing system using atomic force microscopy

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) can dynamically detect the adhesion or affinity force between a sample surface and a cantilever. This feature is useful as a detection method using aptamers--single-strand DNA that recognizes its target with very high affinity. The present study proposes a novel DNA aptamer-based sensing system using AFM. In this study, thrombin was chosen as the target molecule, and a DNA aptamer-based AFM sensing system based on competition was developed. The affinity force between the gold chip and the cantilever decreased as the concentration of thrombin increased. Moreover, a low detection limit of 0.2 nM was achieved. Therefore, the AFM sensing system used would be appropriate for the measurement of various chemical compounds.     

Preparation of (0 2 0)-oriented BaTi2O5 thick films and their dielectric responses

Barium dititanate (BaTi₂O₅) thick films were prepared on a Pt-coated Si substrate by laser chemical vapor deposition, and ac electric responses of (0 2 0)-oriented BaTi₂O₅ films were investigated using several equivalent electric circuit models. BaTi₂O₅ films in a single phase were obtained at a Ti/Ba molar ratio (m_Ti/Ba) of 1.72–1.74 and deposition temperature (T_dep) of 908–1065 K as well as m_Ti/Ba = 1.95 and T_dep = 914–953 K. (0 2 0)-oriented BaTi₂O₅ films were obtained at m_Ti/Ba = 1.72–1.74 and T_dep = 989–1051 K. BaTi₂O₅ films had columnar grains, and the deposition rate reached 93 μm h^?1. The maximum relative permittivity of the (0 2 0)-oriented BaTi₂O₅ film prepared at T_dep = 989 K was 653 at 759 K. The model of an equivalent circuit involving a parallel combination of a resistor, a capacitor, and a constant phase element well fitted the frequency dependence of the interrelated ac electrical responses of the impedance, electric modulus, and admittance of (0 2 0)-oriented BaTi₂O₅ films.