Wind tunnel study on wind and turbulence intensity profiles in wind turbine wake

In recent years, there has been a rapid development of the wind farms in Japan. It becomes very important to investigate the wind turbine arrangement in wind farm, in order that the wake of one wind turbine does not to interfere with the flow in other wind turbines. In such a case, in order to achieve the highest possible efficiency from the wind, and to install as many as possible wind turbines within a limited area, it becomes a necessity to study the mutual interference of the wake developed by wind turbines. However, there is no report related to the effect of the turbulence intensity of the external flow on the wake behind a wind turbine generated in the wind tunnel. In this paper, the measurement results of the averaged wind profile and turbulence intensity profile in the wake in the wind tunnel are shown when the turbulence intensity of the external wind was changed. The wind tunnel experiment is performed with 500mm-diameter two-bladed horizontal axis wind turbine and the wind velocity in wake is measured by an I-type hot wire probe. As a result, it is clarified that high turbulence intensities enable to the entrainment of the main flow and the wake and to recover quickly the velocity in the wake.     

Naked-eye cadmium sensor: using chromoionophore arrays of Langmuir-Blodgett molecular assemblies

This study demonstrates the possibility of a reversible naked-eye detection method for submicromolar levels of cadmium(II) using the Langmuir-Blodgett (L-B) technique. Molecular assemblies of 4-n-dodecyl-6-(2-thiazolylazo)resorcinol are transferred on precleaned microscopic glass slides, to act as a sensing probe. Isotherm (pi-A) measurements were performed to ensure the films' structural rigidity and homogeneity during sensor fabrication. The sensor surface morphology was characterized using atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The probe membrane exhibits visual color transition, forming a series of reddish-orange to pinkish-purple complexes with cadmium, over a wide concentration range (0.04-44.5 microM). Cadmium response kinetics and the changes in the sensors' intrinsic optical properties were monitored using absorption spectroscopy and further confirmed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A hybrid L-B film composite of poly(vinyl stearate) and poly(vinyl-N-octadecylcarbamate) were investigated for enhancing sensor performance. The sensor was tested for its practical approach to prove its cadmium selectivity and sensitivity amid common matrix constituents using synthetic mixtures and real water samples. Using the sensor strips, the respective lower limits of cadmium detection and quantification are 0.039 and 0.050 microM, as estimated from a normalized linear calibration plot.     

Pannexin 1-Mediated ATP Signaling in the Trigeminal Spinal Subnucleus Caudalis Is Involved in Tongue Cancer Pain

Pain is one of the most severe concerns in tongue cancer patients. However, the underlying mechanisms of tongue cancer pain are not fully understood. We investigated the molecular mechanisms of tongue cancer-induced mechanical allodynia in the tongue by squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) inoculation in rats. The head-withdrawal threshold of mechanical stimulation (MHWT) to the tongue was reduced following SCC inoculation, which was inhibited by intracisternal administration of 10Panx, an inhibitory peptide for pannexin 1 (PANX1) channels. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the expression of PANX1 was upregulated in the trigeminal spinal subnucleus caudalis (Vc) following SCC inoculation. The majority of PANX1 immunofluorescence was merged with ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba1) fluorescence and a part of it was merged with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) fluorescence. Spike frequencies of Vc nociceptive neurons to noxious mechanical stimulation were significantly enhanced in SCC-inoculated rats, which was suppressed by intracisternal 10Panx administration. Phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK)-immunoreactive (IR) neurons increased significantly in the Vc after SCC inoculation, which was inhibited by intracisternal 10Panx administration. SCC inoculation-induced MHWT reduction and increased pERK-IR Vc neuron numbers were inhibited by P2X7 purinoceptor (P2X7R) antagonism. Conversely, these effects were observed in the presence of P2X7R agonist in SCC-inoculated rats with PANX1 inhibition. SCC inoculation-induced MHWT reduction was significantly recovered by intracisternal interleukin-1 receptor antagonist administration. These observations suggest that SCC inoculation causes PANX1 upregulation in Vc microglia and adenosine triphosphate released through PANX1 sensitizes nociceptive neurons in the Vc, resulting in tongue cancer pain.     

Ozone-oxygen gas enhanced passivation of pure iron

Pure iron samples were passivated in borate buffer solution and were exposed to ozone-oxygen gas to study the possibility of improving the surface nanostructure such as atomically flat terrace structure. The treated samples were analyzed with spectroscopic ellipsometry and scanning tunneling microscopy, and the test of corrosion resistance was also carried out. The thickness of the oxide film increased by passivation at 800 mV (Ag/AgCl) and increased by ozone-oxygen gas exposure, but the oxidation film thickness decreased in air due to the reconstruction after rapid growth of oxides by passivation. The reconstruction of the oxide film was estimated by the change of the film thickness and compositions which were analyzed by spectroscopic ellipsometry using several layer models of Fe(OH)₃, γ-Fe₂O₃ and Fe₃O₄ and so on. The widest terrace width of the oxidation film was obtained on large particles based on the reconstruction after the combination treatment of passivation at 800 mV as well as subsequent ozone-oxygen gas treatment. The terrace width of the oxide film after passivation and ozone-oxygen gas treatment was three times larger than that of air-formed oxide film. The terrace width with atomic scale flatness was correlated with the corrosion resistance except for the increase in oxide film thickness.     

Analysis of volume expansion mechanism of CO2-acetate systems at 40 °C

We measured the density and liquid phase CO₂ mole fraction (xCO₂) of CO₂-expanded acetates (methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, propyl acetate, butyl acetate, i-propyl acetate, and t-butyl acetate) at 40 °C and carried out molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The pressure dependence of xCO₂ was almost the same for all measured acetates. The expansion coefficient and the partial molar volume estimated using the Peng-Robinson equation of state was found to have regions: a nearly constant region and a rapidly changing region that seem to be caused by the interspaces. When the length of the alkyl chain increased, the interspaces became larger. CO₂ molecules existed in the interspaces while the volume remains nearly constant in the lower xCO₂ region. However, there were no interspaces in the higher xCO₂ region where volume expanded rapidly and these trends were supported by the MD simulations. The fraction from the center of mass of CO₂ to the carbonyl oxygen atom was highest in regions of lower xCO₂, while the distance from the center of mass of CO₂ to the carbonyl oxygen atom was shortest regardless of region or mixture. The results show that CO₂ molecules tend to aggregate around the carbonyl oxygen in the acetate.     

Monitoring of vasculogenesis-inhibiting activities in sewage effluents by using medaka embryos

Environmental samples are known to be contaminated with complex chemicals such as estrogens, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and retinoids. These contaminants have potentially an adverse impact on survival of aquatic animals, because we found previously that medaka (Oryzias latipes) embryos are defective in the development of blood vessels and bones in the presence of these chemicals. Thus, it is important to test whether sewage effluents contain inhibitory activities against the embryonic development. To examine for such activity, medaka embryos were exposed for 48 h to extracts or freeze-evaporated concentrates of effluent samples collected from different municipal sewage treatment plants. We used the transgenic embryos that are hypersensitive to estrogens due to a high-level expression of estrogen receptor for detecting the total (sum of estrogenic and non-estrogenic) vessel-inhibiting activity. The embryos were specifically defective in blood-vessel formation in most effluent samples, showing the activities ranging from 3 to 30 ng of 17beta-estradiol equiv per liter. Detection limit of 17beta-estradiol was 10 ng per liter. For detection of the non-estrogenic vessel-inhibiting activity, we treated the transgenic embryos in the presence of an antiestrogen, tamoxifen, or used the wild-type embryos. The non-estrogenic activities were found in some (7 out of 18) effluents, ranging from half to all of the total activities. Our findings for the first time demonstrate the utility of the vascular assay for monitoring sewage effluents.     

Enantioselective Hydrogenation of Olefins using Commercially Available Pd/C. Chiral Heterogeneous Catalyst Applicable for High-Throughput Screening

Cinchonidine-modified Pd/C applicable for the high-throughput-guided study was developed. Commercial Pd/C catalysts were employed for the enantioselective hydrogenation of phenylcinnamic acid after the pretreatment, and some of the catalysts were found to result in the sufficient enantioselectivity. The Pd/C catalysts suitable for the cinchonidine modification were characterized by TEM and XAFS to have highly dispersed metal, 2.2 nm of the mean particles size for the best catalyst. The pre-modified Pd/C could be stored in a suspension accompanying with gradual decease in the product ee. The pre-modified catalyst was applicable for the high-throughput screening by using a parallel reactor in the 1/5-scale reactions.     

Strong Binding and Off–On Signaling Functions of Deep-Red Fluorescent TO-PRO-3 for Influenza A Virus RNA Promoter Region

The RNA promoter region of the influenza A virus has recently attracted much attention as an RNA target for the development of anti-influenza drugs. However, there are very few reports on small RNA-binding ligands targeting this region. In this work, it is reported that TO-PRO-3, a thiazole orange analogue with a trimethine bridge, exhibits strong and selective binding to the internal loop structure of the influenza A virus RNA promoter. This binding accompanies the remarkable light-up response of TO-PRO-3 in the deep-red spectral region. By virtue of these binding and fluorescence signaling functions, TO-PRO-3 can act as a useful indicator for the assessment of the binding capabilities of various test compounds for this RNA region, with a view toward the development of anti-influenza drug candidates.