Fundamental experiments for the development of high-performance cold plates in a feasability study on space solar power system

To realize a concept of solar power satellite with high power generation, it is a promising method to transfer the power by laser beam using active mirror type amplifiers where cooling of the laser material accepting highly condensed sunray is inevitable. To remove high heat flux density from a large area, a structure of cold plate consisted of two parallel plates is devised and the effective liquid supply directly to the bottom of flattened bubbles due to nucleate boiling is realized by the auxiliary liquid feeder. The critical heat flux is increased by more than 1.5 times from that without the additional liquid supply. The technology can be applied not only to space but widely to the development of high-performance cold plates employed on ground.     

SrTiO3 thin films by mocvd for 1 gbit DRAM application

Abstract

Three important aspects of the preparation of SrTiO₃ thin films by MOCVD are discussed in detail in view of the application of these films as the capacitor dielectric of Gbit-scale DRAMs: CVD reactions in the Sr(DPM)₂-Ti(i-OC₃H₇)₄-O₂ system, step coverage and relations between microstructure and electrical properties. The effect of the substrate temperature on the Sr and Ti deposition rates was first investigated for thermal and ECR CVD SrTiO₃ films. SrO and TiO₂ deposition by thermal CVD above 550°C were found to be controlled by the surface reaction and gas transport, respectively, whereas both SrO and TiO₂ deposition are controlled by gas transport for ECR CVD at 450 to 600°C. The influence of the Sr and Ti deposition regimes on the step coverage of SrO, TiO₂ and SrTiO₃ were then assessed. SrO films prepared by thermal CVD at 600°C exhibited the best step coverage, indicating that a relation exists between reaction controlled deposition and good step coverage. The effect of the film composition and film thickness on the microstructure of SrTiO₃ thin films were finally investigated and correlations were made to other analyzed physical and electrical properties. Polycrystalline perovskite phase SrTiO₃ films were obtained for a composition 0.7 ≤ Sr/Ti ≤ 1.2. The best crystallinity, maximum permittivity and maximum refractive index were obtained for Sr/Ti = 0.95. Titanium rich films are thought to be composed of a mixture of a titanium rich amorphous phase and crystalline SrTiO₃, and strontium rich films are believed top correspond to a (SrTiO₃)_m (SrO)_n structure. The dielectric constant slowly decreased as the film thickness was reduced. The sharp decrease observed near 400–500 Å could be due to the existence of some perturbed layer at the interface with one or both of the electrodes     

Surface morphology control of zirconia thin films prepared using novel photochromic molecules

A new photochromic ZrO₂ precursor solution was prepared using zirconium tetra-n-butoxide, 4-(phenylazo)benzoic acid and ethyleneglycol monomethylether. The density functional theory (DFT) calculation has identified that the structure of the synthesized precursor molecule changed by UV irradiation. Four types of thin films were prepared using the ZrO₂ precursor solution with and without UV irradiation and applying an electric field. It was found that the surface morphology of thin films changed by applying UV irradiation to the precursor solution and an electric field.     

Production of biogenic manganese oxides by repeated-batch cultures of laboratory microcosms

We investigated the production of manganese (Mn) oxides using repeated-batch bioreactors maintained over long periods under laboratory conditions. Freshwater epilithic biofilms were used as the initial inocula. The bioreactors yielded suspended solids that could remove 0.1 mM dissolved Mn(II) within a few days. Chemical titration, X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the Mn(II) had been converted to poorly crystallized layer-type Mn(IV) oxides, which were similar to known biogenic Mn oxides from pure bacterial cultures. Spherical or rod-shaped Mn microconcretions occurred in the suspended solids; transmission electron microscopy showed that these structures likely resulted from the microbial activity but not represent living cells. Instead, the presence of encapsulated, sheathed, and hyphal budding cells in the suspended solids indicated that a range of Mn-depositing bacteria contributed to the Mn oxide formation. To our knowledge, our data represent the first observation of production of such Mn oxides in a laboratory microcosm wherein a range of Mn-depositing bacteria coexist. The fact that sorption of trace Zn(II) and Ni(II) ions onto the suspended solids co-occurred with the removal of dissolved Mn(II) emphasizes the important role of Mn-oxidizing microorganisms in the fates of trace or contaminant metals in the aquatic environment.     

Thrombin Receptor-Activating Protein (TRAP)-Activated Akt Is Involved in the Release of Phosphorylated-HSP27 (HSPB1) from Platelets in DM Patients

It is generally known that heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) is phosphorylated through p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. We have previously reported that HSP27 is released from human platelets associated with collagen-induced phosphorylation. In the present study, we conducted an investigation into the effect of thrombin receptor-activating protein (TRAP) on the release of HSP27 in platelets in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. The phosphorylated-HSP27 levels induced by TRAP were directly proportional to the aggregation of platelets. The levels of phosphorylated-HSP27 (Ser-78) were correlated with the levels of phosphorylated-p38 MAP kinase and phosphorylated-Akt in the platelets stimulated by 10 µM TRAP but not with those of phosphorylated-p44/p42 MAP kinase. The levels of HSP27 released from the TRAP (10 µM)-stimulated platelets were correlated with the levels of phosphorylated-HSP27 in the platelets. The released platelet-derived growth factor-AB (PDGF-AB) levels were in parallel with the HSP27 levels released from the platelets stimulated by 10 µM TRAP. Although the area under the curve (AUC) of small aggregates (9–25 µm) induced by 10 µM TRAP showed no significant correlation with the released HSP27 levels, AUC of medium aggregates (25–50 µm), large aggregates (50–70 µm) and light transmittance were significantly correlated with the released HSP27 levels. TRAP-induced phosphorylation of HSP27 was truly suppressed by deguelin, an inhibitor of Akt, in the platelets from a healthy subject. These results strongly suggest that TRAP-induced activation of Akt in addition to p38 MAP kinase positively regulates the release of phosphorylated-HSP27 from human platelets, which is closely related to the platelet hyper-aggregation in type 2 DM patients.     

Pd-SiO2复合膜的氢气选择渗透特性

Palladium membranes were prepared on an a-alumina support by metal-organic compound chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method from palladium(Ⅲ) acetate precursor. Permeation properties of hydrogen and helium gas were studied as a function of the number of times of deposition of palladium on the peeling off phenomenon of palladium, which is common in electroless plated membrane, was observed. Silica was introduced into the pores to prevent the palladium grain from peeling off. The palladium-silica conjugated membrane does not show the peeling off phenomenon and can withstand the high temperature up to 800℃ which is the upper limit of our apparatus.The separation factor for hydrogen gas over carbon dioxide gas was improved with the increase of number of times of silica coating by sacrificing the H2 permeation and finally increased to four times. The improvement on the separation of hydrogen gas over carbon dioxide for pulladium-silica conjugated membrane was evaluated and a model of permeation pattern (palladium and silica) was proposed. This model suggests that the separation factor for hydrogen over carbon dioxide could be improved by introducing silica layer because the silica layer fills the pores and reduces the gas permeation without sacrificing the hydrogen permeation through the palladium region. These results indicate that the introduction of silica into the palladium grain is a promising means to improve the hydrogen separation performance of palladium based composite membranes.     

In-Situ Coating of Zeolite Na-A on Al2O3-SiO2 Glass Fibers

In-situ coating of zeolite Na-A crystals on Al₂O₃-SiO₂ glass fibers was investigated by a low temperature chemical process. The glass fibers were reacted with various concentrations of NaOH solutions at 60–110°C for various times. The surface of glass fibers was first leached by the solution but crystals of zeolite Na-A precipitated on the glass fibers after a certain reaction time because the concentrations of Si and Al components in the solution increased by dissolution of the glass fibers. The precipitated zeolite was identified to be Na-A type but nosean-cancrinite-type phase and/or hydroxysodalite coexisted with zeolite Na-A at longer reaction times. With higher concentration of NaOH solution, the formation rate of zeolite Na-A was faster, the formation temperature was lower and the grain size was smaller ca. 2–3 m. Dense zeolite Na-A coatings were produced when the glass fibers were reacted in 4 M NaOH solution at 60°C for 18 h. The amount of zeolite Na-A formed on the fibers was about 20 mass%.     

Designing current collector/composite electrode interfacial structure of organic radical battery

Charge/discharge processes of organic radical batteries based on the radical polymer's redox reaction should be largely influenced by the structure and the composition of the composite electrodes. AC impedance measurement of the composite electrodes reveals a strong correlation between the overall electron transfer resistance of the composite electrode and the material of the current collector, and suggests that the electric conduction to the current collector through the contact resistance should be crucial. We also find that the adhesion and the contact area between the composite electrode and the current collector strongly influence the contact resistance rather than the work functions and the volume resistivities of the composite electrode and the current collector. It is also confirmed that the charge/discharge performance of the composite electrode is related to the overall electron transfer resistance of the composite electrode. These results indicate that the charge/discharge performance of the radical battery is dominated by the interfacial electron transfer processes at the current collector/carbon fiber interface. In fact, the composite electrode which has a high adhesion to the current collector shows a small overall electron transfer resistance and an excellent charge/discharge performance. The rate performance would be much improved by suitably designing the interfacial structure including adhesion and contact area.     

CHANGES IN CONTENT OF OCTOPINE, ACIDIC OPINES, RELATED AMINO ACIDS AND PHOSPHOARGININE IN THE ADDUCTOR MUSCLE OF THREE SPECIES OF SCALLOP DURING STORAGE

The postmortem changes of octopine (Oct), strombine (Stn), tauropine (Trn), alanopine (Aln), related amino acids and phosphoarginine (PA) in the edible adductor muscles of Chlamys nobilis, Pecten albicans and Patinopecten yessoensis during storage at 0 and 5C were examined. For this purpose, new alternative HPLC methods for the analysis of octopine and acidic opines were developed. Among opines, Oct was the major postmortem glycolytic end product of all three scallops, followed by Stn, Trn and Aln, respectively. The accumulation of Oct during storage at 0 and 5C was similar. On the contrary, almost twice as much Stn accumulated when stored at 5C compared to 0C. Trn and Aln increased to a lesser extent. Arginine and PA decreased, while glycine, taurine and alanine increased during storage.     

Asymptotic Correlations Between Rotated Solutions in Factor Analysis

The asymptotic correlations between differently rotated solutions in exploratory factor analysis are derived. The solutions are orthogonally or obliquely rotated for unstandardized or standardized manifest variables. To obtain the asymptotic correlations between different solutions, the covariance models for manifest variables have been constructed so that two sets of solutions are involved in a single covariance structure. The asymptotic correlations can be used for the statistical test of the differences of rotated solutions. The correlation matrix between the rotated factors of the first solution and those of the second is also introduced in the models with appropriate restrictions to identify the models. The asymptotic standard errors of the estimates of the correlations between the factors in different solutions are simultaneously provided. A numerical example is presented with simulated values.