Production of hyaluronic‐acid‐based cell‐enclosing microparticles and microcapsules via enzymatic reaction using a microfluidic system

This article describes the preparation of cell‐enclosing hyaluronic acid (HA) microparticles with solid core and microcapsules with liquid core through cell‐friendly horseradish peroxidase (HRP)‐catalyzed hydrogelation. The spherical vehicles were made from HA derivative possessing phenolic hydroxyl moieties (HA‐Ph) cross‐linkable through the enzymatic reaction by extruding cell‐suspending HA‐Ph aqueous solution containing HRP from a needle of 180 μm in inner diameter into the ambient coaxial flow of liquid paraffin containing H₂O₂ in a microtubule of 600 μm in diameter. By altering the flow rate of liquid paraffin, the diameters of gelatin and HA‐Ph microparticles were varied in the range of 120–220 μm and 100–300 μm, respectively. The viability of the enclosed human hepatoma HepG2 cells in the HA‐Ph microparticles of 180 μm in diameter was 94.2 ± 2.3%. The growth of the enclosed HepG2 cells was enhanced by decreasing the HRP concentration. The microcapsules of 200 μm in diameter were obtained by extruding HA‐Ph aqueous solution containing thermally liquefiable cell‐enclosing gelatin microparticles of 150 μm in diameter using the same microfluidic system. The enclosed cells grew and filled the cavity within 10 days. Spherical tissues covered with a heterogeneous cell layer were obtained by degrading the microcapsule membrane using hyaluronidase after covering the surface with a heterogeneous cell layer. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43107.     

Towards the improvement of thermal efficiency in lignite‐fired power generation: Concerning the utilization of Polish lignite deposits in state‐of‐the‐art IGCC technology

Integrated coal Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) is the most advanced technology for coal‐fired power generation. The two‐stage entrained flow gasification process allows for the use of a wide range of coal, as long as the gasification temperature is above the ash melting point of a used fuel. In this gasification technology, lignite, which often has a low ash melting point, can be preferably utilized. However, ash fluidity is also another importance, because the behaviour of molten slag can diminish a stable ash discharge from a gasifier. As the eligibility of coal ash properties is a considerable factor, water physically and chemically kept in lignite (30 – 60% in mass) attributes to deteriorating gasification efficiency, because it causes significant heat loss and increasing oxygen consumption. Developing a thermal evaporative lignite drying method will be a necessary attempt to apply lignite to the coal gasification process. For those preceded objectives, coal and ash properties and drying characteristics of several grades of Polish lignite, extracted from Belchatow and Turow deposits, have been experimentally investigated in a preliminary study evaluating the applicability and consideration for its utilization in state‐of‐the‐art clean coal technology, IGCC. This paper particularly discusses the eligibility of Polish lignite from the perspective of the fusibility and fluidity of ash melts and the fundamental drying kinetics of lignite in superheated steam in the light of water removal. The viscosity of ash melts is measured at high temperature up to 1700 °C. In the drying tests, the significant influence of structural issues, because of the provenance and origin of lignite on the drying characteristics, was found by applying the method of sensitivity analysis of physical propensity. This paper concludes that the investigated Polish lignite has characteristics favourable for utilization in IGCC technology, once the precautions related to its high moisture have been carefully addressed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sweeteners interacting with the transmembrane domain of the human sweet-taste receptor induce sweet-taste synergisms in binary mixtures

Sweet enhancing effect of neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC) or cyclamate has been reported to be synergistic in human sensory tests. However, little is known about whether these synergisms are caused by the mechanism mediated by the human sweet-taste receptor. Here, we examined the sweetness intensity of sweet tastant mixtures by measuring the responses of cultured cells stably expressing the human sweet-taste receptor. The results showed that the cell response to sucrose was synergistically potentiated by the addition of NHDC or cyclamate. Moreover, a point mutation in the transmembrane domain of hT1R3 almost completely eliminated the enhancing effects of NHDC and cyclamate. These results suggest that ligand–receptor interactions in the transmembrane domain of hT1R3 are necessary for NHDC and cyclamate to elicit the synergistic potentiation of the receptor activation. Our results may provide the foundation of a molecular basis for receptor-based synergisms of sweet tastes in mixtures of diverse sweet substances.     

Effects of phosphorus content on generation and growth of cracks in nickel–phosphorus platings owing to thermal cycling

We observed crack generation and structural changes in electroless nickel–phosphorus (Ni–P) plating layers formed on copper-metalized silicon nitride substrates both during thermal cycling from ? 40 to 250 °C and during storage (not cycling) at 250 °C in order to investigate the effect of the phosphorus contents on crack generation and growth in the Ni–P platings. The used platings contained phosphorus at three different contents: 2.1 wt% [Ni–P(low)], 6.5 wt% [Ni–P(med)], and 10.9 wt% [Ni–P(high)]. The generation time and the amount of cracks were strongly dependent on their phosphorus contents. More cracks appeared after thermal cycling than after storage at 250 °C. In Ni–P(low), cracks were generated after 200 thermal cycles, whereas no cracks were observed even after 250 h of storage at 250 °C. In Ni–P(med) and Ni–P(high), both during thermal cycling and storage at 250 °C, cracks formed during or after crystallization of the amorphous layers. These results suggest that the primary factors affecting the generation of cracks in electroless Ni–P platings are crystallization of the Ni–P platings and repeated changes in thermal stress.     

Evaluation of effects of windows installed with near-infrared rays retro-reflective film on thermal environment in outdoor spaces using CFD analysis coupled with radiant computation

Recently, windows with low-e double-glazing or heat-shading films often have been installed to the exterior surfaces of buildings to reduce the cooling load of the buildings. These windows specularly reflect solar radiation into pedestrian spaces. It has been pointed out that the increase in the incident solar radiation reflected at the windows degrades the thermal comfort levels of pedestrians. The installation of near-infrared rays retro-reflective film to window surfaces may both reduce the cooling load of the building and reduce the impacts on the thermal environment in outdoor spaces. Hence, it is expected that the installation of this film will counteract this problem and have positive effects. To assess the feasibility of installing retro-reflective materials to the exterior surfaces of the building walls and ground forming part of a city block, for improving the thermal environment in outdoor spaces, computational methods could serve as a powerful tool for analyzing the radiant environment in urban and building spaces. In this paper, a computational method is outlined for considering the directional reflections from the exterior surfaces of building walls and windows. The method is used to estimate the effects on the outdoor thermal comfort of pedestrians in the summer season.     

Phase Relations and Volume Changes of Hafnia under High Pressure and High Temperature

Using multi-anvil high-pressure devices and synchrotron radiation, X-ray in situ observations of HfO₂ under high pressure and high temperature have been performed to investigate its phase relations and compression behavior. An orthorhombic phase (orthoI) is stable from 4 to 14.5 GPa below 1250°–1400°C and transforms to a tetragonal phase, which is one of the high-temperature forms of HfO₂, above these temperatures. Another orthorhombic phase (orthoII) with a cotunnite-type structure appears above 14.5 GPa. OrthoII is stable up to 1800°C at 21 GPa. OrthoII is quenchable to ambient conditions. The orthoI-to-orthoII transition is accompanied by ∼8 vol% decrease. The bulk moduli of orthoI and orthoII at room temperature are 220 and 312 GPa, respectively. This low compressibility of orthoII indicates that it is a potential candidate for very hard materials.     

Fabrication of fluorine-terminated diamond-like carbon thin film using a hyperthermal atomic fluorine beam

Surface modification of diamond-like carbon (DLC) film was performed using a hyperthermal atomic fluorine beam on the purpose of production of hydrophobic surface by maintaining the high hardness of DLC film. By the irradiation of atomic fluorine beam of a 1.0 × 10²⁰ atoms/cm², the contact angle of a water drop against the DLC surface increased from 73° to 111°. The formation of CF₃, CF₂ and CF bonding on the modified DLC surface was confirmed from the measurements of X-ray photoelectron spectra and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectra. Irradiation of hyperthermal atomic fluorine beam was concluded to produce insulator fluorine-terminated DLC film, which has high F content on the surface, by the taking of the use of neutral atomic beam as a fluorine source.