Hygrothermal effects of glass fiber reinforced unsaturated polyester resin composites aged in steady and fluctuating conditions

This paper presents the water uptake and its effect on the tensile properties and the translaminar fracture toughness of glass fiber reinforced unsaturated polyester composites (GFRUPs) aged in distilled and saltwater at a temperature of 50 °C, in steady and fluctuating conditions. In both conditions, the GFRUPs aged in distilled water absorbed more water than in saltwater. The tensile strength of GFRUP tends to decrease with the immersion time in both aging media, but the decrease of tensile strength in saltwater is worse than that in distilled water. In steady condition, the translaminar fracture toughness increases after 7 days immersion and then tends to decrease beyond that immersion time. While in fluctuating condition, the translaminar fracture toughness increases until 15 days immersion and then gradually decreases up to 30 days immersion. Overall, the degradation of mechanical properties in the fluctuating condition is lower than in the steady condition.     

Nano-scale phase transformation in Ti-implanted austenitic 301 stainless steel

Phase-transformation behaviours were investigated for austenitic 301 stainless steel during implantation at room temperature with 300 keV Ti ions to fluences of 8 x 10(19) to approximately 3 x 10(21) ions m(-2) by means of transmission electron microscopy. The cross-sectional specimen was prepared using a focused ion beam. Plan observation of the implanted specimen showed that phase transformation from gamma-phase to alpha-phase was induced by implantation to a fluence of 3 x 10(20) Ti ions m(-2). The nucleation of the irradiation (implantation)-induced phase increased with the increase of the dose. The orientation relationship between the gamma matrix and the induced alpha martensitic phase was identified as (011)alpha//(111)gamma and [11-1]alpha//[10-1], close to the Kurdjumov-Sachs relationship. Cross-sectional observation after implantation to a fluence of 5 x 10(20) ions m(-2) showed that phase transformation mostly nucleated near the surface and occurred in the higher the concentration gradient of the implanted ion, i.e. a higher stress concentration takes place and this stress introduced by the implanted ions acts as a driving force for the transformation.     

Bioactivities of nostocine a produced by a freshwater cyanobacterium Nostoc spongiaeforme TISTR 8169

A freshwater cyanobacterium, Nostoc spongiaeforme TISTR 8169, synthesizes and releases a violet pigment, nostocine A, into medium. We examined the bioactivity of nostocine A to several model organisms breeding with N. spongiaeforme in the natural environment. To microalgae, nostocine A exhibited growth inhibitory activity comparable to paraquat, and the activity tended to be stronger to green algae than to cyanobacteria. Nostocine A also exhibited strong inhibitory activity to the root elongation of barnyard grass, strong antifeedant activity to cotton ballworm, and acute toxicity to mice resulting in its classification as a dangerous poison. The results suggest that nostocine A may act as a toxin or an allelochemical to breeding organisms in nature. In a laboratory culture of N. spongiaeforme, the production of nostocine A was enhanced at higher temperature, 30 degrees C, and more intense light, 30 W/m2, than the basal conditions, 25 degrees C and 10 W/m2. Cultivation of cells with H2O2 at 1 or 2 mM also enhanced the production of nostocine A, indicating that nostocine A may be synthesized and released when the cells are exposed to oxidative stress, possibly occurring at higher temperature and more intense light. LC-MS and electron spin resonance analyses revealed that nostocine A, reduced previously by NaBH4, immediately recovered to its original form upon exposure to air and the generation of superoxide radical anions occurred at this re-oxidation step. These results suggest that the adverse effects of nostocine A on various organisms may be related to the function of nostocine A in generating toxic reactive oxygen species, which occurs in the cells of target organisms.     

Identification of 3,4-Dihydro-2H,6H-pyrimido[1,2-c][1,3]benzothiazin-6-imine Derivatives as Novel Selective Inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase

Plasmodium falciparum’s resistance to available antimalarial drugs highlights the need for the development of novel drugs. Pyrimidine de novo biosynthesis is a validated drug target for the prevention and treatment of malaria infection. P. falciparum dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (PfDHODH) catalyzes the oxidation of dihydroorotate to orotate and utilize ubiquinone as an electron acceptor in the fourth step of pyrimidine de novo biosynthesis. PfDHODH is targeted by the inhibitor DSM265, which binds to a hydrophobic pocket located at the N-terminus where ubiquinone binds, which is known to be structurally divergent from the mammalian orthologue. In this study, we screened 40,400 compounds from the Kyoto University chemical library against recombinant PfDHODH. These studies led to the identification of 3,4-dihydro-2H,6H-pyrimido[1,2-c][1,3]benzothiazin-6-imine and its derivatives as a new class of PfDHODH inhibitor. Moreover, the hit compounds identified in this study are selective for PfDHODH without inhibition of the human enzymes. Finally, this new scaffold of PfDHODH inhibitors showed growth inhibition activity against P. falciparum 3D7 with low toxicity to three human cell lines, providing a new starting point for antimalarial drug development.     

Absorption of lithium in montmorillonite: a density functional theory (DFT) study

The absorption of lithium in montmorillonite [LiSi8(Al3Mg)O20(OH)4] was investigated using Density Functional Theory (DFT). The final position of lithium after absorption was found to be in good agreement with an experimental observation where lithium atom migrated from the interlayer into the vacant octahedral site of montmorillonite. The lithium absorbed on montmorillonite was held together by a very strong attraction between ions and exhibited an insulating behavior as depicted from the density of states curve. Due to the presence of lithium in the octahedral site of montmorillonite, the OH group reoriented itself perpendicular to the ab plane and an electron of lithium was transferred in order to compensate the existing net charge of montmorillonite caused by isomorphous substitutions. Relative small charge transfer was observed between lithium and montmorillonite.     

A Study of Vacuum-Drying Characteristics of Sugi Boxed-Heart Timber

In this study, we evaluated the effects of drying under atmospheric and vacuum pressure on the drying time, checking, and color change of sugi boxed-heart timber dried at the same dry-bulb temperature and the same wet-bulb depression. The results obtained were as follows: Sugi boxed-heart timber specimens dried at any temperature under vacuum pressure had a shorter drying time than the specimens dried under atmospheric pressure. At moisture content above fiber saturation point and at the same dry-bulb temperature, the specimens dried under vacuum pressure had a drying rate that was almost twice as fast as that of the specimens dried under atmospheric pressure. Sugi boxed-heart timber specimens dried under both atmospheric and vacuum pressure at a higher drying temperature had a shorter drying time than the specimens dried at a lower drying temperature. Apart from the sugi boxed-heart timber specimen dried at a temperature of 100°C under atmospheric pressure, no surface checks were observed for the specimens dried under vacuum pressure or at the other temperatures dried under atmospheric pressure. Slight internal checks were observed in sugi boxed-heart timber specimens dried at a temperature of 100°C under both atmospheric and vacuum pressure. After planer shaving, there was no significant difference between kiln drying under atmospheric pressure and that done under vacuum pressure in terms of the color change (ΔE*) for both sapwood and heartwood of sugi boxed-heart timber specimens.     

Effect of Nickel-Cobalt-Zinc Ferrite Filler on Electrical and Mechanical Properties of Thermoplastic Natural Rubber Composites

Thermoplastic natural rubber (TPNR) as polymer matrix was prepared by the melt blending method. Nickel-cobalt-zinc (NiCoZn) ferrite as a filler was prepared by the double-stage sintering method in air. The filler was incorporated in the polymer matrix using a Brabender internal mixer. The filler content was varied from 0 to 30 wt.%. The morphological study of the fractured surface using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) shows the effects of strain. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicates the coexistence of both the ferrite and thermoplastic. Electrical properties were studied using a high frequency response analyzer (HFRA) at room temperature (298°K). The results show that resistivity (ρ) decreases, but the dielectric constant increases, with increasing filler content. The resistivity and dielectric constant for all the composites are in the range of 8.9 × 10⁶–9.7 × 10⁵ Ωm and 33–72, respectively. A sharp change in both quantities around 15 wt.% filler content is interpreted as due to the transition from a dispersed system to an attached system. The tensile study shows that the elongation at break point and the tensile strength of the composite at room temperature decrease with increasing filler content. The hardness of the samples decreases with increasing filler content.     

Gold nanonetwork film on the ITO surface exhibiting one-dimensional optical properties

A network of gold nanostructures exhibiting one-dimensional gold nanostructure properties may become a prospective novel structure for optical, electrical and catalytic applications benefited by its unusual characteristics resulting from the collective properties of individual nanostructures in the network. In this paper, we demonstrate a facile method for the formation of high-density gold nanonetwork film on the substrate surface composed of quasi-1D nanoparticles (typically fusiform) with length ca. 10 nm - via reduction of gold ions in the presence of nanoseeds attached surface, binary surfactants of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and hexamethyleneteramine and Ag⁺ ions. The length of the nanonetworks can be up to ca. 100 nm, which corresponds to the aspect ratio of ca. 10. The quasi-1D gold nanostructures as well as the nanonetworks were found to be sensitive to the binary surfactants system and the Ag⁺ ions as they can only be formed if all the chemicals are available in the reaction. The nanonetworks exhibit unique 1D optical properties with the presence of transverse and longitudinal surface plasmon resonance absorption. Owing to their peculiar structures that are composed of small quasi-1D nanoparticles, the nanonetworks may produce unusual optical and catalytic properties, which are potentially used in surface-enhanced Raman scattering, catalysis and optical and non-linear optical applications.     

Comparison of Monte Carlo calculation methods for effective delayed neutron fraction

Monte Carlo calculation methods to estimate the effective delayed neutron fraction β_eff are investigated: one is proposed by Meulekamp et al. and the other is by Nauchi et al. It is revealed that both the methods calculate the delayed neutron fraction weighted with the importance functions defined by Kobayashi. The accuracy of the methods are also examined for several simple benchmark systems. Consequently, it is found that Meulekamp’s method causes ∼5% discrepancies in the β_eff values for fast systems; Nauchi’s method gives good results for fast bare systems but ∼10% discrepancies for fast reflected systems. Both the methods calculate the β_eff values approximately within the accuracy of ∼2% for thermal systems.