Application of DMAEMA‐grafted expanded PTFE films to positively charged ultrafiltration membranes and their electrostatic sieve separation properties

A study was done of the ultrafiltration properties of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) films with two average pore sizes, 0.5 and 3.0 μm, grafted with 2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA)—grafted 0.5‐ePTFE and grafted 3.0‐ePTFE—using dextran (Dxt) and quaternized dextran (qDxt) in water and in buffer solutions with a pH in the range of 4–10. The water permeability was found to be proportional to the operating pressure below 2.0 kgf/cm². Grafted 0.5‐ePTFE films apparently had a higher rejection than did the grafted 3.0‐ePTFE films, and the cutoff value for grafted 0.5‐ePTFE films decreased with an increase in the grafted amount. The apparent rejection of Dxt and qDxt increased with a decrease in the pH value, and the apparent rejection of qDxt was higher than that of Dxt when the pH was in the range of 4–8 because of an electrostatically repulsive interaction between positively charged grafted PDMAEMA chains and qDxt molecules. For grafted 0.5‐ePTFE films, 40KDxt was selectively separated from the 40KDxt/250KDxt mixture systems in water and from the 40KDxt/40KqDxt mixture systems at pH 6 using the difference in their apparent rejection; the separation factors in both systems increased with the grafted amount. These results indicate that grafted ePTFE films are applicable to positively charged ultrafiltration membranes. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 1595–1604, 2001     

Size effect of color patches for their color appearance with foggy goggles simulating cloudy crystalline lens of elderly people

The cataract eyes can be characterized by three elements; luminance, spectral distribution, and scatter, which are perceived as brightness, color, and fogginess, respectively. Change of any of the three elements may affect visual performance. The foggy element, which refers to the perception associated with a change in the optical scatter of the crystalline lens, causes deterioration of the visual acuity, pattern perception, and an uncomfortable foggy appearance over the visual field. Moreover, it also affects the ability to discriminate and perceive colors. The environmental light coming to the eyes from all directions overlay the retinal image of a color patch and causes to reduce the color purity of the image. Color desaturation of the patch takes place. In this article, it is suggested that if the patch is enlarged in size the environmental light coming from the immediate surroundings of the patch is replaced by the color of the patch itself reducing the desaturation of the patch and leading to a greater perception of the original patch color. Three foggy filters were made to fit goggles and subjects, while wearing the goggles, were allowed to observe red, yellow, green, and blue color patches of six different sizes under four different illuminance levels to control the strength of the environmental light. When the color patch size was small as 0.7° of visual angle the chromaticness perceived on each of the color patches was extremely small under an environmental light of 300 lx, but increased rapidly as the color patch size increased to 5.9° of visual angle. When the environmental light was reduced to 10 lx, the degree of apparent color desaturation was markedly reduced to only a slight amount. The haze value of the foggy filters was also found to be significant with the larger the haze value the stronger the desaturation of the test color patches. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 34, 351–358, 2009     

Improvement in Fatigue Strength of Biomedical β-type Ti–Nb–Ta–Zr Alloy While Maintaining Low Young’s Modulus Through Optimizing ω-Phase Precipitation

The improvement in fatigue strength, with maintenance of a low Young’s modulus, in a biomedical β-type titanium alloy, Ti–29Nb–13Ta–4.6Zr (TNTZ), by thermomechanical treatment was investigated. A short aging time at an ω-phase-forming temperature combined with severe cold rolling was employed. A fine ω phase is observed in TNTZ subjected to this thermomechanical treatment. Because the rolling texture of β phase is formed by cold rolling, such as the ω phase may be preferentially oriented to a direction that is effective for inhibiting the increase in Young’s modulus. The samples aged at 573 K (300 °C) for 3.6 ks and 10.8 ks after cold rolling exhibit a good balance between a high tensile strength and low Young’s modulus. In the case of the sample aged for 3.6 ks, the tensile strength is improved, although the fatigue strength is not improved significantly. Both the tensile strength and the fatigue strength of the sample aged for 10.8 ks are improved. This fatigue strength is the highest among the TNTZ samples used in the current and in previous studies with Young’s moduli less than 80 GPa.     

Smudge on tinplate steel sheets and the effects of cathodic dichromate treatment

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Lattice thermal expansions of NpN, PuN and AmN

Lattice parameters of NpN, PuN and AmN were measured by a high temperature X-ray diffraction method from room temperature up to 1478 K. Linear thermal expansions of these TRU nitrides were determined as a function of temperature. The average coefficients of linear thermal expansion from 293 to 1273 K were 8.8, 11.1 and 11.2 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ for NpN, PuN and AmN, respectively. The instantaneous coefficient of thermal expansion either at 293 or at 1273 K against the reciprocal decomposition temperature under 1 atm of nitrogen showed a linear relationship for TiN, ZrN, HfN, UN, NpN and PuN. Based on this relationship, the decomposition temperature of AmN was roughly predicted to be 2700 K.     

Promotion of metal accumulation in nodule of Astragalus sinicus by the expression of the iron-regulated transporter gene in Mesorhizobium huakuii subsp. rengei B3

Toxic metal contamination in agricultural fields is an important worldwide problem. In previous studies, we developed a bioremediation system based on the symbiosis between Astragalus sinicus and the recombinant rhizobium, Mesorhizobium huakuii subsp. rengei B3 developed by overexpressing a synthetic tetrameric metallothionein gene (MTL4) and cDNA encoding the phytochelatin synthase from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtPCS). To promote the transport of metals into the nodules of the rhizobium and the accumulation of metals, the iron-regulated transporter 1 gene from A. thaliana (AtIRT1) was introduced into recombinant strain B3 containing MTL4 or AtPCS in its chromosome. The fused AtIRT1-alkaline phosphatase was expressed in the free-living recombinant rhizobium and the nodule of A. sinicus. The recombinant strain B3 carrying AtIRT1 showed a higher Cd sensitivity and a higher amount of Cd accumulated in free-living culture than the wild-type strain B3. When the recombinant strain B3 established symbiosis with A. sinicus, the introduction of AtIRT1 in the recombinant strain B3 advantaged the accumulation of Cu and As in the nodules of A. sinicus, compared with that of Cd and Zn.     

Production of quasi-monodisperse emulsions with large droplets using a micromachined device

The development and operation of a modified method for the preparation of quasi-monodisperse (CV<16%) emulsions are reported. The device uses a microfabricated-nozzle (MN) array, produced by micromachining technology, to achieve a higher rate of emulsification [76.8 m³/(m²·h)] than previously reported for microchannel (MC) emulsification methods. The dispersed phase is extruded into a continuous phase through the MN, and the emulsions droplets are formed by viscous drag force of the continuous phase. The droplet diameter decreased with an increase in the flow velocity and viscosity in the continuous phase, which was explained by the theoretical model. The range of droplet diameters produced (130 to 370 μm) was larger than in previously reported MC emulsification, membrane emulsification, and shear-rupturing methods.     

Feasibility of nonlinear Raman lidar based on stimulated Raman gain spectroscopy without a tunable laser

A novel technique of lidar for atmospheric gas detection by use of stimulated Raman gain spectroscopy without any tunable laser is proposed. Detection sensitivity and detectable range are estimated on the basis of the lidar equation for CO2, CH4, and H2 in the atmosphere. The feasibility study clearly shows that the technique has a potential for application to lidar and that, in addition, the construction of the system is simpler than those of traditional differential absorption lidars.     

Nondestructive Measurement of Fatigue Damage of Thermally Sprayed Al2O3/NiCr Using ESPI Method Under High Temperature

High-temperature fatigue (R = 0) damage and deformation behaviors of SUS304 steel thermally sprayed with an Al₂O₃/NiCr coating were investigated using a servopulse fatigue-testing machine, SEM, and an electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI) method. The relation between crack/delamination and strain variation is discussed. Surface cracks occurred at the outer Al₂O₃ coating but stopped at the inner NiCr coating after one fatigue cycle when the tensile stress was 202 MPa at 873 K. They propagated into the NiCr coating but stopped at the substrate, and local delamination occurred along the NiCr/substrate interface after 1 × 10⁵ cycles test in condition (_max = 202 MPa, T = 873 K). Cracks and delamination largely decreased when _max = 115 MPa or T = 573 K. No influence of cycle frequencies (6.7 or 14 Hz) was detected. The strain value measured by ESPI method was confirmed to be almost the same as that obtained with strain gauges at 293 K. Strain values along cracks measured with the ESPI method were much larger than other areas as a result of crack opening under the tensile load, referred to as the strain concentration zone in this work. Positions of strain concentration zones on strain distribution figures by the ESPI method corresponded well to positions of cracks on sprayed coatings. Moreover, strain values largely decreased where local delamination occurred.