Three-dimensional evaluation of an independent multi-walled carbon nanotube probe by tomography with high-resolution transmission electron microscope

We evaluated an independent multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) probe by using tomography with a high-resolution transmission electron microscope to verify the three-dimensional structure of the probe tip. The new method of probe evaluation revealed the following features: (i) cutting the end of the MWNT probe caused the wall structure to disintegrate and encapsulated the graphene sheets fragmented by the discharged pulse; (ii) the cap of the MWNT probe was an open cylinder covered by walls similar in shape to a rectangular slit; (iii) the grooves of the inner walls of the MWNT probe, which were created by the discharge cutting method, maintained a cylindrical shape that was different from the peeling-off mechanism.     

Conceptual design of rain radar for the tropical rainfall measuring mission

Specifications for a spaceborne rain radar for tropical rainfall measurement are described. A spaceborne rain radar has problems peculiar to rain observation from space. The radar must have a fast scanning mechanism to cover a large swath. Very weak rain echoes compared to the sea or land surface signal must be detected. These capabilities must be attained under the severe power consumption and mass limitations of the satellite bus. The fast scanning requirement forces application of an electrically scanning mechanism. This requirement also causes a severe limitation of the available number of independent samples. The requirement for weak rain echoes excludes application of the pulse compression technique, which is a very conventional technique for other active microwave sensors on board satellites. Under these constraints, a rain radar with an electrically scanning planar antenna at 13-8 GHz is proposed.     

Effects of Solvents in the Polyethylene Glycol Series on the Bonding of Copper Joints Using Ag2O Paste

The effects of reducing solvents on the bonding process using silver oxide paste in a copper joint were investigated. Three solvent types were tested: diethylene glycol (DEG), triethylene glycol (TEG), and polyethylene glycol (PEG). The strength of the joints was assessed by fracturing, which occurred at the interface of the copper oxide layer and the copper substrate in DEG and TEG samples and at the bonded interface in the PEG sample. Analysis of the samples revealed that, in the DEG and TEG samples, the copper substrate was oxidized during the bonding process, which compromised the shear strength of the joints. In contrast, the PEG sample exhibited nonuniform sintering of the silver layer while retaining good shear strength. It was found that the combination of DEG and PEG produced optimum shear strength in the copper joint, as PEG suppressed the growth of copper oxide and DEG promoted the formation of a dense sintered silver layer. The bonding strength achieved was higher than that of the gold-to-gold joint made using standard Pb-5Sn solder.     

Artifact reduction using reliability reasoning for image generation of FTV

In this paper, we present a new view synthesis method in multiview camera configurations of Free viewpoint TV (FTV) where potential depth errors are considered. The emphasis is on the artifacts eliminating for photorealistic synthesis especially near object boundaries. In contrast to conventional techniques which ignore geometry errors, we first categorize the artifact cases and depth modes. Furthermore, this paper infers the complementarity principle of the artifacts from left and right references. This complementarity guarantees the effectiveness of our reliability-based synthesis. The reliability reasoning is crucial for artifacts reduction. The reliable and unreliable areas from different views can be correctly labeled. Then artifacts caused by unreliable pixels from one reference can be replaced by the reliable pixels from the other reference. As a final result, artifacts of novel view are demonstrated to be significantly reduced on different multiview sequences.     

Case study of the relationship between fungi and bacteria associated with high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degradation

Although bacteria play dominant roles in microbial bioremediation, few of them have been reported that were capable of utilizing high-molecular-weight (HMW) organic pollutants as their sole sources of carbon and energy. However, many soil fungi can metabolize those of pollutants, although they rarely complete mineralization. In this paper, we investigated the dynamic relationship between fungi and bacteria associated with degradation of HMW-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Artificial fungal-bacterial mixed cultures were constructed to simulate the environment of actual polluted sites. Four bacterial strains and seven fungal strains were isolated that related to the removal of phenanthrene, fluoranthene and pyrene in the soil. Furthermore, these strains were used to create mixed culture of bacteria (Bact-mix), mixed culture of fungi (Fung-mix), fungal-bacterial co-cultures (Fung-Bact), respectively. The maximal pyrene removal rate (67%, 28days) was observed in the Fung-Bact, compared with cultures of Fung-mix (39%) and Bact-mix (56%). The same tendency was also indicated in the degradation of phenanthrene and fluoranthene. In addition, a dynamic relationship during the degradation process between fungi and bacteria was monitored through using polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) method.     

Utilization of Lactoferrin as an Iron-Stabilizer for Soybean and Fish Oil

ABSTRACT: We investigated the oxidative stability of soybean oil and fish oil fortified with iron solubilized by lactoferrin (FeLF). Oxidative stability was evaluated by measuring the induction period of the Rancimat test. The induction time of soybean oil added FeCl₃ was decreased; however, that of added FeLF was not. This effect of lactoferrin was also observed in the iron-catalyzed oxidation offish oil at temperatures ranging from 50°C to 120°C, and at concentrations of iron ranging from 0 to 500 ppm. Thus, lactoferrin is considered useful as a natural iron stabilizer for food products containing polyunsaturated fatty acids.     

Application of ergothioneine-rich extract from an edible mushroom Flammulina velutipes for melanosis prevention in shrimp,Penaeus monodon and Litopenaeus vannamei

This report investigated the melanosis-inhibiting properties of crude water soluble extract from the base and fruiting body waste of an edible mushroom (Flammulina velutipes) containing 9.13 ± 2.03 mg/mL 2-thiol-l-histidine-betaine (ergothioneine, ESH). Immersion of live full-grown black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) and Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) in a 0.5% w/v solution of mushroom extract for 1 h significantly decreased polyphenoloxidase (PPO) activity in shrimp hemolymph and expression of the prophenoloxidase (proPO) gene in hemocytes. Consequently, the development of melanosis in the treated shrimp during ice storage was prevented. Treatment with a 0.05% w/v solution of sodium sulfite and 4-hexyl-1,3-benzenediol had a similar effect. Enzyme assays showed that ESH is a non-competitive inhibitor. It is proposed that ESH possibly interacts directly with Cu²⁺ at the putative binding sites of PPO and proPO, based on copper-chelating activity analyses, thus preventing melanosis in the shrimp. This study indicated that application of ESH-rich F. velutipes mushroom extract from trimming waste is an effective natural alternative to synthetic melanosis-inhibiting agents to prevent postmortem melanosis in shrimp.     

Value‐added use of mushroom ergothioneine as a colour stabilizer in processed fish meats

BACKGROUND: Ergothioneine (ESH), a potent antioxidant, has been found in certain edible mushrooms. Our previous research showed that ESH extracted from the edible mushroom Flammulina velutipes has a positive effect on the colour stability of beef and tuna meat. The purpose of the present study was to compare the efficacy and applicability of ESH extracts prepared from different mushroom species as a colour stabilizer in fish meats. RESULTS: Levels of ESH higher than 2.8 mg mL^?1 were found in extracts prepared from the fruiting bodies of F. velutipes, Lentinula edodes, Pleurotus cornucopiae and Pleurotus eryngii and the processing waste of F. velutipes. When 1 mL of each of the extracts was added to 100 g of minced bigeye tuna and yellowtail meats, the bright‐red colour remained after 5 and 2 days, respectively, of ice storage. The anti‐discoloration efficacy of 1 mL of the extracts prepared from 10 g of the fresh waste portion of F. velutipes was similar to that of its fruiting body or 0.5 g kg^?1 of sodium ascorbate when added to 100 g of minced bigeye tuna meat under ice storage. CONCLUSION: The results of this study clearly showed that ESH prepared from different mushroom species stabilized the colour of fish meats, and the extract from the F. velutipes was the most effective. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Carbonization properties of carbonaceous substances oxidized by air blowing—I: Carbonization behaviors and chemical structure of residual oils oxidized by air blowing

The carbonization process of oxidized oils was investigated by the successive observation of the cokes at several intermediate stages with particular attention to the cocarbonization compatibility of the components, in order to understand how the medium mosaic texture was developed from the oxidized oils. When the oxidized oil was carbonized, very small anisotropic spheres appeared in the matrix, but, being fixed into the mosaic texture, they formed clusters with limited growth of their diameters. The n-hexane insoluble (nHI) and the n-hexane soluble (nHS) components in the, oxidized oil produced isotropic and flow textures in the cokes, respectively. These components did not allow the smooth growth of the anisotropic spheres because of their poor compatibility. Cocarbonization with some proper additives was found effective both in developing a flow texture from the nHI of the oxidized oil and producing a high coke yield. Chemical analyses of the components were performed in order to explain the compatibility.